Pope Leo XIV was looking over the Chicago White Sox pitching staff on Saturday afternoon.
asserted
XIV → look → afternoon
The White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 at Progressive Field to take Game 1 of the ALDS.
asserted
Sox → beat → ALDS
White Sox manager Will Venable deployed a bullpen game to begin the series, and his pitching staff was fantastic.
asserted
staff → deploy → series
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
uncertain
page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
uncertain
News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.
asserted
that → create → newsroom
Grant Taylor led the way with a Herculean effort, pitching the final four innings of the game in the longest outing of his career and earning a rare four-inning save.
asserted
Taylor → lead → save
It was the first four-inning save in a postseason game since Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. accomplished the feat in 2017 against the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
asserted
Jr. → accomplish → ALCS
In four innings, Taylor struck out six hitters and yielded just two hits.
asserted
Taylor → strike → hits
It was a rare game where the pitcher who finished the game for the winning team pitched more innings than the starter.
asserted
who → finish → starter
Hagen Smith was the opener for the White Sox, and he was cruising until he wasn’t.
asserted
he → cruise → Sox
After retiring the first eight batters he faced, he walked three consecutive batters to load the bases.
asserted
he → retire → bases
Venable had seen enough from Smith and turned the ball over to lefty Bryan Hudson to face left-handed hitter Chase DeLauter.
asserted
Venable → see → DeLauter
Hudson escaped the jam by inducing a weak flyout from DeLauter to keep the game scoreless through three innings.
asserted
Hudson → escape → innings
White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas led off the top of the fourth inning with a line-drive single to left field, and first baseman Munetaka Murakami followed with the first postseason home run of his career.
asserted
Murakami → lead → career
The Japanese star turned on Parker Messick’s 93-mph fastball and crushed it 440 feet into the right-field seats, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
asserted
star → turn → lead
The Guardians threatened again in the fourth inning.
asserted
Guardians → threaten → inning
Venable brought in Jordan Hicks to begin the inning, and Hicks retired the first two batters he faced before walking Nathaniel Lowe.
asserted
he → bring → Lowe
Venable then went to the bullpen again, bringing in lefty Anthony Kay with a runner on first and two outs to face left-handed hitter Travis Bazzana.
asserted
Venable → go → Bazzana
However, Kay immediately got into further trouble.
asserted
Kay → get → trouble
Bazzana ripped a double down the line, and Kay then walked catcher Austin Hedges to load the bases.
asserted
Kay → rip → bases
Despite raising the blood pressure of White Sox fans, Kay escaped the inning unscathed, preserving the 2-0 lead by getting shortstop Bryan Rocchio to fly out to right field to end the threat.
asserted
Rocchio → raise → threat
The White Sox chased Messick in the top of the fifth inning after Colson Montgomery’s single.
asserted
Sox → chase → single
Messick struck out six hitters while yielding two runs on four hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings of work.
asserted
Messick → strike → work
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt turned to Daniel Espino with one out and a runner on first to try to keep the deficit at two, and it worked beautifully as second baseman Chase Meidroth grounded into a double play to end the top of the fifth inning.
asserted
Meidroth → turn → inning
Kay stayed in for the bottom of the fifth inning and shut down the top of the Guardians’ order with a 1-2-3 inning.
asserted
Kay → stay → inning
The White Sox threatened in the top of the sixth inning after Tristan Peters singled and Vargas walked.
asserted
Vargas → threaten → inning
Vogt pulled Espino from the game and brought in Erik Sabrowski.
asserted
Vogt → pull → Sabrowski
With runners on first and second and no outs, Sabrowski struck out Murakami for the first out of the inning and then induced an unconventional double play.
asserted
Sabrowski → strike → play
Tommy Pham hit a deep fly ball to left field, and left fielder Ángel Martínez leaped at the wall to make a fantastic catch before the ball reached the outfield wall.
asserted
ball → hit → wall
Martínez then fired the ball back to first base to double off Vargas, who was well off the bag anticipating an extra-base hit.
asserted
who → fire → hit
The White Sox challenged the call, believing the ball hit the outfield wall before Martínez caught it, but the call stood.
asserted
call → challenge → it
Venable then turned to his bullpen for what ended up being the final time, bringing in Taylor, who worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning.
asserted
who → turn → inning
In the top of the seventh inning, the White Sox added a key insurance run.
asserted
Sox → add → run
Shortstop Colson Montgomery was at the plate with catcher Kyle Teel, who had walked earlier in the inning, on first base with two outs.
asserted
who → walk → outs
With left-handed pull hitter Montgomery at the plate, the Guardians’ defense was shaded toward the first-base side of the infield.
asserted
defense → shade → infield
Montgomery then hit it where the defenders weren’t, hitting a weak ground ball at just 64 mph off the bat down the third-base line.
asserted
defenders → hit → line
Teel, who isn’t fleet of foot, scored from first base on Montgomery’s cue shot.
asserted
who → score → shot
It was a close play at the plate, but Hedges couldn’t corral Martínez’s throw from left field, giving the White Sox a 3-0 lead.
asserted
Hedges → corral → lead
Venable left Taylor in for a second inning of work in the bottom of the seventh, and the right-hander once again pitched a scoreless frame, frustrating the raucous Guardians crowd.
asserted
hander → leave → crowd
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
