White Sox beat Guardians and can reach the American League Championship Series — The Guardian
The Chicago White Sox defeated the Cleveland Guardians 4–3 in the second MLB playoff game in Cleveland, United States, and could reach the American League Championship Series as early as Wednesday. The team that suffered 121 losses two seasons ago is now five wins away from the World Series, The Guardian reports.
Turning point in the sixth inning
In the sixth inning, rookie Braden Montgomery put the White Sox ahead with a double to the opposite field. He later scored himself after a teammate’s single, and the Chicago team held on for the win.
It was Montgomery’s third hit in 12 plate appearances in the current playoffs. During the regular season, the switch-hitting outfielder had a .430 OPS in 103 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers when batting right-handed. It was the worst figure among qualified hitters batting from the right side.
Manager Will Venable explained his trust in Montgomery by saying that the player does not shy away from crucial moments. According to him, the team seeks to put its nine best performers on the field for a particular situation.
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The manager’s basketball principles
During his college years, Venable played shooting guard for Princeton University. From 2001 to 2005, he was named to the All-Ivy League first team, helped the team reach the NCAA tournament, and once scored 21 points in a game against Duke. In baseball, he also received Ivy League honors and became the second Princeton athlete to achieve this in both sports.
According to Venable, basketball taught him attention to detail and an understanding of space and timing. He applies these principles in his work with pitchers: in the playoffs, the White Sox pay more attention to specific pitcher-batter matchups rather than to the number of innings a starting pitcher is expected to pitch.
In Venable’s first season as manager, in 2025, the White Sox lost 102 games. This season, the team finished the regular championship with an 84–78 record and trailed the Guardians by one win in the race for the Central Division title. Venable called the current progress the result of the joint work of the players and the entire organization, including his partnership with general manager Chris Getz.
