Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run home run and five Chicago White Sox pitchers combined to limit the Cleveland Guardians to just three hits in a 3-0 victory in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland.

Murakami, a 26-year-old rookie from Japan, connected on a 440-foot homer off Guardians starter Parker Messick in the fourth inning, driving in Miguel Vargas to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. This marked Murakami’s first postseason homer and his 36th home run of the regular season. Colson Montgomery later extended the White Sox lead to 3-0 in the seventh inning with an RBI double that scored Kyle Teel.

Chicago’s pitching staff delivered a strong performance, with starter Hagen Smith opening the game and retiring the first eight Guardians batters. Smith worked 2⅔ scoreless innings without allowing a hit, striking out four but issuing three walks before handing the ball to Bryan Hudson. Hudson recorded the win by retiring the only batter he faced in the third inning. Closer Grant Taylor finished the game with four shutout innings, striking out six and allowing two hits.

On the visiting side, Messick, a rookie making his postseason debut, pitched 4⅓ innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six. Cleveland, despite winning its third consecutive AL Central title by a narrow margin over Chicago, failed to capitalize on opportunities with the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings. The Guardians’ offense managed only three hits, including a double by Travis Bazzana in the fourth inning. Jo Adell, recently acquired in a trade, struck out four times in his playoff debut.

White Sox manager Will Venable utilized an opener strategy with Smith starting the game, which contributed to the team’s early shutout effort. Despite Cleveland’s struggles, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt emphasized the team’s resilience, noting their intention to bounce back in the series.

Chicago entered the postseason with momentum, having won nine of their last 11 games and sweeping the Houston Astros in the wild-card series. They now lead the best-of-five series 1-0. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Cleveland.

Notably, the New York Yankees’ captain Aaron Judge was left off the ALDS roster due to a calf injury, while teammate Giancarlo Stanton remained on the roster despite limited playing time during the season.

Both teams will look to adjust ahead of the next game, with Murakami expressing confidence after his performance and the White Sox aiming to maintain their strong pitching showing as the series continues.