White Sox beat Guardians 4-3, lead ALDS 2-0 as Murakami drives in a run
Version 2: New coverage added official, business and community outlets reporting the same result, along with post-game comments from Murakami and the National League schedule for the next day; the result and Murakami’s hitting and RBI streak were confirmed by further outlets.
In short
The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 at Progressive Field in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, taking a 2-0 lead and moving one win from the league championship series. Munetaka Murakami started at first base batting fourth and went 4 at-bats with 1 hit and 1 RBI; his fourth-inning single began the comeback. Game 3 is set for Chicago from October 7 local time, October 8 Japan time.
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The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 at Progressive Field in Cleveland on October 5 local time in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series and moving one win from the league championship series, according to the reports. Munetaka Murakami started at first base batting fourth and went 4 at-bats with 1 hit and 1 RBI, TBS NEWS DIG, Nikkei and Sankei Shimbun reported. Yahoo! News reported the White Sox are unbeaten in four postseason games this year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
With Chicago trailing 2-0, Murakami hit a single to right field in the fourth inning to drive in a run, the outlets said. Mynavi News reported the hit came off Guardians right-hander Williams, the American League strikeout leader this season, on a full count against a 99.5 mph pitch after Williams had reached 101.2 mph. The same outlet said Williams struck out 11 batters through five innings before Chicago scored against the bullpen. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
Mynavi News reported that the White Sox used Anthony Kay as an opener; he threw 17 pitches and left with one out and runners on first and second. Reliever Sean Newcomb then loaded the bases, and a throwing error to first base allowed two Guardians runs. Chicago took the lead in the sixth: Braeden Montgomery hit a two-run double down the right-field line and Chase Meidroth added an RBI single off reliever Gaddis for a 4-2 advantage, Mynavi News said. According to the same report, Sean Burke retired 13 consecutive batters and allowed one hit over 5 2/3 innings, and closer Grant Taylor recorded a four-out save after the lead was cut to one run. [ 1 ]
After the game, Murakami told a television interview, “We fought as a team to try to overtake them,” Yahoo! News reported. TBS NEWS DIG quoted him saying he was not playing “wanting to lose” and was “focused only on winning.” [ 3 , 6 ]
Nikkei and Sankei Shimbun, both citing Kyodo, reported that no National League games were played on October 5 and that the National League series resume on October 6 local time. The Dodgers, level at 1-1 with the Braves, planned to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto, while the Padres, two games down, faced the Brewers, those reports said. The White Sox return to Chicago for Game 3 from October 7 local time, October 8 Japan time, Mynavi News, Nikkei and Sankei reported. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The win leaves the White Sox one victory from the American League championship series and returns the series to Chicago. Japanese coverage focuses on Murakami, who has driven in runs in two straight postseason games; the business and official outlets carried the result as routine sports news alongside the National League schedule.
Key facts
- The White Sox beat the Guardians 4-3 in Game 2 of the AL Division Series at Progressive Field and lead the series 2-0. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
- Munetaka Murakami started at first base batting fourth and went 4 at-bats with 1 hit and 1 RBI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
- Murakami drove in a run with a fourth-inning single to right field. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
- Murakami has recorded hits and RBIs in two consecutive games of the series. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- Yahoo! News described the White Sox as unbeaten in four postseason games this year. [ 3 ]
- Mynavi News reported reliever Sean Burke allowed one hit over 5 2/3 innings and closer Grant Taylor recorded a four-out save. [ 1 ]
- Game 3 is scheduled for Chicago from October 7 local time, October 8 Japan time. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The White Sox beat the Guardians 4-3 in Game 2 of the AL Division Series at Progressive Field, taking a 2-0 series lead. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
- Munetaka Murakami started at first base batting fourth and recorded 4 at-bats, 1 hit and 1 RBI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
- Murakami drove in a run with a fourth-inning single to right field. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
- Murakami has hits and RBIs in two consecutive games of the series. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- The White Sox are one win from the league championship series. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The series returns to Chicago for Game 3 from October 7 local time, October 8 Japan time. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- Details of the pitching sequence, including the opener, the relievers used and the strikeout total for the Guardians’ Williams. These specifics appear only in the Mynavi News game report.
- The exact wording of Murakami’s post-game comments. Yahoo! News quotes one remark from a television interview and TBS NEWS DIG quotes others; each is a single source.
- Whether the White Sox are unbeaten in four postseason games this year. Stated by Yahoo! News only; the other documents refer to the two wins in this series.
- Whether Murakami’s key fourth-inning at-bat is best described as an RBI single or an advancement hit. TBS NEWS DIG’s headline refers to an advancement hit while its summary and the other outlets describe an RBI single.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Game 2 played at Progressive Field in Cleveland on October 5 local time; the White Sox win 4-3. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
- Mynavi News publishes its detailed game report. [ 1 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG publishes its summary of Murakami’s two-game hitting and RBI streak. [ 2 ]
- Yahoo! News publishes its report on the White Sox’s fourth straight postseason win, with Murakami’s comment. [ 3 ]
- NHK News publishes its result report. [ 4 ]
- Nikkei publishes the Kyodo report, adding the National League schedule. [ 5 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG publishes Murakami’s post-game comments. [ 6 ]
- Sankei Shimbun publishes the Kyodo report. [ 8 ]
- Game 3 scheduled in Chicago from October 7 local time, October 8 Japan time. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]