The Chicago White Sox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over the Houston Astros on Tuesday, September 29, in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series at Daikin Park in Houston. The Astros (81-81) captured the AL West while the White Sox arrived as the league's final Wild Card entrant, and both clubs leaned on unconventional pitching plans to open the best-of-three set.
The game got underway at Daikin Park with first pitch at 5 p.m. ET, broadcast nationally on NBCSN and Peacock.
A Disastrous First Inning for Houston's Bullpen Plan
Astros opener AJ Blubaugh had a rough start and did not get out of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci worked an eight-pitch walk, then came around to score on a throwing error before Munetaka Murakami lifted a one-out sacrifice fly that made it 1-0 Chicago.
Houston turned to reliever Bryan King to try to contain the damage, but the White Sox kept the line moving. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the second, Chicago pushed its advantage to 3-0, drawing boos from the home crowd at Daikin Park.
Hagen Smith Delivers on the Mound
On the other side, rookie left-hander Hagen Smith opened Chicago's own bullpen game and turned in exactly what the club needed. The 23-year-old, who was named the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, entered the postseason with a 1.29 ERA and 41 strikeouts across 28 innings during his first big-league stint.
Smith retired six of the first seven batters he faced and worked three scoreless innings on 38 pitches, allowing two hits with a strikeout and no walks. His outing set the tone for a Chicago pitching staff that used an opener or bullpen game an MLB-leading number of times during the regular season.
Houston briefly threatened in the third when Cam Smith reached on a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a lineout, but presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez could not bring him home. A ground ball to third ended the frame with Chicago still in front, 3-0.
Two Bullpen Games Collide
Both managers opted to skip traditional starters entirely. Houston countered Blubaugh's early exit by turning to reliever Miguel Ullola, who came out of the bullpen and escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs, striking out two to keep the deficit at three runs. Left off the Astros' Wild Card roster entirely was reliever Steven Okert, who was sidelined by a hamstring issue.
For Chicago, the top of the lineup did the early damage, with Antonacci and Murakami both factoring into the scoring. Murakami entered the series having broken out of a prolonged slump, slashing .269/.406/.692 over his final seven regular-season games. Second baseman Chase Meidroth also returned from a minor hamstring injury to bat eighth, while shortstop Colson Montgomery, mired in a late-season slide, was moved down to ninth in the order for the first time all season.
Series Stakes and What Comes Next
This is the third all-time playoff meeting between the Astros and White Sox, and it doubles as a rematch of the 2021 AL Division Series, when Houston eliminated Chicago in four games. Houston also carried an active streak of seven consecutive home playoff losses dating back to 2023 into Tuesday's opener.
During the regular season, the Astros won five of seven meetings against the White Sox, including three of four games played in Houston, making Chicago's fast start all the more notable. The winner of this best-of-three series will move on to face the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series.
With Smith's bulk work completed after three innings, both bullpens were expected to shoulder the bulk of the remaining work, continuing the relay-race approach that defined each team's pitching staff for much of 2026.