The White Sox keep finding ways to win the left-on-left battle, and that edge has been a real reason they’re 3-for-3 this October.
Saturday’s Game 1 victory over the Guardians gave another example. Colson Montgomery didn’t do it with a towering drive or a loud extra-base hit.
He put down a 64 mph squibber, the kind of ball he “never hits,” and it somehow rolled past a wide open third-base area and down the left-field line. Justin Jirschele sent the runner from first, and the sequence produced the third and final run in a less-than-pretty but very effective way.
That hit mattered because it came against left-hander Erik Sabrowski. So did Munetaka Murakami’s thunderous two-run homer off Parker Messick. All three White Sox runs came on left-on-left damage.
That has been a theme all series. The White Sox’s lefty-heavy lineup has pushed opposing clubs into leaning on southpaw relievers, and that has in turn dragged in pitchers who might not normally be in line for postseason work. Joe Espada’s bullpen-game approach featured plenty of those matchups, and the Sox have made him pay for it.
It carried into Game 1 of the ALDS, too. The setup wasn’t exactly shocking, since Messick’s lack of same-sided changeups gave lefties a better path than righties had.
Still, the White Sox took advantage of that weakness, shortened Messick’s outing and forced Stephen Vogt to reach deeper into his bullpen earlier than he usually would. Cleveland’s relievers were solid enough overall, though Tommy Pham nearly changed the picture with a drive that looked destined for the seats before Angel Martinez hauled it in before the wall.
Through three games, White Sox lefties are hitting .409/.500/.591 over 27 plate appearances against lefties:
Lefty PA H 2B HR BB K
Murakami 8 3 0 1 1 3
Montgomery 6 2 1 0 0 0
Teel 6 2 0 0 1 1
Peters 5 1 0 0 0 1
Antonacci 2 1 0 0 0 0
Total 27 9 1 1 2 5
The numbers show the production, but they don’t tell the whole story. In the Wild Card Series, Montgomery was hit by a 1-2 fastball from Houston lefty Bryan King in the second inning of Game 1, loading the bases for Sam Antonacci. Antonacci then delivered his lone hit against lefties, a two-run single that stretched the lead to 3-0, and Kyle Teel followed with one of his two singles to chase King from the game.
Tristan Peters also chipped in with a sacrifice bunt against Bennett Sousa that moved runners to second and third. One pitch later, #WILDPITCHOFFENSE turned it into a 5-2 game. That kind of play can look small on the surface, but it mattered because it let Will Venable keep his best defensive outfield alignment on the field, with Peters sliding from center to left for Brenton Doyle and Braden Montgomery staying in right.
Some of this is luck, and some of it is a calculated gamble going the White Sox’s way. Either way, it’s producing more than just isolated plate appearances.
It’s helping keep the better defenders in place, giving right-handed bats the platoon edge, and preserving bench pieces for bigger moments later. Those little wins have stacked up into three wins in three games this October.
In Other News...
White Sox Are Betting Big On A Risky Game 3 Pitching Plan
The White Sox head into Game 3 with a chance to finish off the Division Series at home, something the franchise has not done since 1906, and they are leaning into an unconventional plan to try to get there. Instead of a traditional starter, Chicago intends to open with reliever Sean Newcomb in a bullpen-day approach, a move that reflects both the stakes of the moment and the flexibility this postseason run has demanded.
Newcombs track record gives the idea some edge and some risk. He has had uneven postseason outings and has recently battled issues with walks and home runs, but the White Sox are banking on the version of him they saw earlier in the season, along with matchup advantages, to help them push one win closer to a series sweep. It is the kind of decision that can look bold in advance and either brilliant or reckless once the game starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Pham Just Turned A Dugout Moment Into White Sox Drama
Tommy Pham created a little extra White Sox buzz during batting practice when he had a brief exchange with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the baseballs being used in games. What might have stayed a small dugout-side moment instead spilled into the public eye after Chicago Sun-Times editor Jeff Agrest reported on it, describing the interaction as cordial and partly humorous.
Pham later pushed back on social media, saying the report misrepresented his tone and that he was joking. For a White Sox team already living with plenty of daily scrutiny, even a short back-and-forth like this can grow legs fast, especially when it involves a player, the commissioner, and a topic as touchy as the ball itself. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Rizzo Just Reignited A Cubs-Sox Fight White Sox Fans Hate
Anthony Rizzo did not exactly tiptoe back into the citys oldest baseball argument. Speaking on a podcast, the former Cubs first baseman and current team ambassador floated the idea that White Sox fans should have backed the Cubs during the 2016 World Series because both teams represent Chicago, while also saying Cubs fans ought to return the favor and pull for the White Sox in their 2026 playoff run. It was the kind of remark that sounds harmless in theory and combustible in practice, especially in a town where loyalties are measured in decades.
The response from White Sox fans made the temperature clear almost immediately. Plenty of them rejected the pitch for civic unity and leaned into the familiar hostility toward the Cubs, turning Rizzos comments into one more reminder that Chicagos baseball divide is not going away anytime soon. For the White Sox, the timing only adds another layer, because any appeal for shared rooting interest tends to collide with a fan base that has spent years defining itself in opposition to the North Side. [Read more 🡒]