Chicago White Sox rookie left-hander Hagen Smith, who played for Bullard High School and the University of Arkansas, delivered three scoreless innings in his postseason debut Tuesday, helping secure a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. The win came in Game 1 of an American League wild-card series played in Houston. Smith’s performance contributed to Chicago taking an early lead in the best-of-three series.
During his time on the mound, Smith navigated around a two-out single by Isaac Paredes in the bottom of the first inning. He then retired the Astros in order in the second frame. In the third, Smith stranded Cam Smith on third base after Smith had opened the inning with an opposite-field single to right field, demonstrating his ability to escape trouble and keep Houston off the scoreboard.
The White Sox offense capitalized early, scoring in the first two innings. In the top of the first, Astros rookie right-hander AJ Blubaugh walked Sam Antonacci, Miguel Vargas, and Andrew Benintendi. Antonacci scored on a sacrifice fly from Munetaka Murakami, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. Left-hander Bryan King replaced Blubaugh after the third walk and limited further damage by striking out Tristan Peters. However, Chicago continued its momentum into the second inning as the first five batters reached base.
Following hits by Braden Montgomery and Chase Meidroth, King hit Colson Montgomery with a pitch, loading the bases. Sam Antonacci then delivered a two-run single, extending the White Sox lead to 3-0. Astros manager Joe Espada noted the challenge presented by his pitchers, Blubaugh and King, who combined to allow three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while recording only three outs, stating it "puts you in a tough spot."
Colson Montgomery, who had struggled with a .065 batting average over his last 19 games and broke a major league single-season record with 227 strikeouts this year, made a significant impact in the fourth inning. He led off the frame with a 432-foot home run to straightaway center field off Astros right-hander Miguel Ullola, giving Chicago a 4-0 advantage. White Sox manager Will Venable commented on Montgomery's timely hit, saying, “Big swing by Colson to get us that extra run.”
Chicago further widened its lead in the fifth inning when Murakami walked and later scored on a bases-loaded single from Meidroth, making it 5-0. Murakami singled again in the seventh and scored on a wild pitch. The Astros began to rally in the fifth, with Nelson Velazquez hitting a pinch-hit, two-run homer off White Sox left-hander Sean Newcomb. Jeremy Pena scored on a two-out throwing error by Miguel Vargas in the eighth inning, bringing the score to 6-3. Astros manager Joe Espada acknowledged his team’s fight, saying they "battled back after the first two innings."
Both teams utilized openers in Game 1. For Chicago, Jordan Hicks earned the win after tossing 1 1/3 shutout innings as the second of five White Sox pitchers. Right-hander Grant Taylor closed out the game, throwing 54 pitches over 2 1/3 innings and giving up one unearned run. Braden Montgomery, Randal Grichuk, and Chase Meidroth each recorded multi-hit games for Chicago.
The White Sox last won a postseason series by sweeping the Astros in the 2005 World Series. Chicago will now attempt to sweep this best-of-three series on Wednesday, with Game 2 also taking place in Houston.
