CLEVELAND — Braden Montgomery delivered the go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth inning and Chase Meidroth followed with an RBI to send the Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Monday afternoon.
“I can’t even describe how it felt,” Montgomery said. “It’s exhilarating. I was just taking it all in.”
Chicago leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and can advance to its first AL Championship Series since 2005 with a win on Wednesday at home. The White Sox have won all four of their postseason games after claiming the league’s final wild-card berth.
“Our club has been confident the entire year, regardless of the previous result,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “They come in ready to play and turn the page. Now, we’re really excited to get playoff baseball to our fans.”
Montgomery’s two-out, opposite-field double off Erik Sabrowski (0-1) landed just inside the foul line in right to drive in Miguel Vargas and Randal Grichuk. Hunter Gaddis entered and allowed Meidroth’s opposite-field hit that plated Montgomery to extend the White Sox’s lead to 4-2.
“I was just ready for something to attack, and I was ready for his hardest stuff,” Montgomery said of his big hit. “I gave myself my best chance to succeed.”
Sean Burke (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run, one-hit relief for the win, retiring 13 straight batters from the fourth to the eighth. Grant Taylor earned his second save in the series by working 1 1/3 innings and wrapping up the combined four-hitter.
“I was able to settle in and find my groove,” Burke said. “I’ve had openers before, but not in this situation, so I talked with a lot of guys. It’s just normal baseball when you get into that game.”
Cleveland, which scored the first two runs of the contest, pulled within 4-3 in the eighth on Jo Adell’s triple off Taylor. Chase DeLauter chased Burke with a two-out single, then scored on Adell’s drive high off the wall in center.
Guardians starter Gavin Williams struck out a career postseason-high 11 over five-plus innings, giving up two runs on four hits with three walks. The right-hander fell one shy of the franchise strikeout record by Charles Nagy against the Baltimore Orioles in the 1996 ALDS.
“I don’t think there is any pressure on us,” Williams said. “We know what we have to do and we’re going to do it. I’d come out of the bullpen in Game 3, if I was allowed to.”
Cleveland went up 2-0 in the first on an error by pitcher Sean Newcomb, who threw wide of first base on a high chopper by Nathaniel Lowe. Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez came home after reaching against opener Anthony Kay.
Rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami got the White Sox on the board in the fourth with a sharp single to right that scored Kyle Teel, who led off the inning with a single that was the first hit against Williams.
Williams topped 100 mph eight times in the first two innings — doubling his career high for a game — and reached triple digits on 18 of his 98 pitches. He had the 37 fastest pitches of the contest when he departed after Vargas’ leadoff single in the sixth.
Kay, pitching for the third time in the postseason, faced three batters. The left-hander worked one-third of an inning and allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and a walk.
In Game 1, Murakami hit a two-run homer and five Chicago pitchers combined for a three-hitter in a 3-0 victory.
–Brian Dulik, Field Level Media
