<\/p>\n
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) is seen as Chicago White Sox third base coach Justin Jirschele, left, gives Tristan Peters a high-five after Chase Meidroth\u2019s RBI single in the fifth inning during Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros pinch hitter Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez crosses the plate after hitting a 2-run home run off Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Newcomb during the fifth inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros relief pitcher Miguel Ullola throws against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros relief pitcher Miguel Ullola reacts after striking out Chicago White Sox designated hitter Andrew Benintendi to end the second inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) salutes as he is introduced before Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series against the Chicago White Sox in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Chicago White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth (10) scores past Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) on a 2-run single by Sam Antonacci during the second inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Chicago White Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci (17) hits a 2-run single off Houston Astros pitcher Bryan King during the second nning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros pitcher Bryan King (74) throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) makes a play at first on a grounder by Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel, but makes a throwing error in an attempt to throw out Sam Antonacci advancing to second, during the first inning of Game 1 of an American League Wild Card Series in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
In dueling bullpen games to begin a playoff series, the Houston Astros<\/a>\u2019 stumbled and their opponent\u2019s stood firm. As a result, the Astros fell right back into a familiar position.<\/p>\n Losing 6-3 to the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the AL wild card round Tuesday left Houston on the brink of elimination in the best-of-three series. The Astros, whose playoff hopes remained in jeopardy until the final day of the regular season, will start ace Hunter Brown in Game 2 trying to sustain them.<\/p>\n THE OPENER: A bullpen game doesn’t work for Astros<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Neither Houston nor Chicago had time to reset its rotation before this series started, spurring both to deploy their bullpens in the opener. The Astros used eight different pitchers. Five allowed at least one run. They trailed 3-0 after two innings and 5-0 in the fifth.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n Chicago White Sox Antonacci lf Doyle cf Teel c Vargas 3b Murakami 1b Benintendi dh a-Grichuk ph-dh c-Acu\u00f1a pr-dh Peters cf-lf B.Montgomery rf Meidroth 2b C.Montgomery ss Totals Houston Pe\u00f1a ss Alvarez dh Paredes 3b Altuve 2b Diaz c Walker 1b Spence cf Smith rf Trammell lf b-Vel\u00e1zquez ph-lf Totals 1 R Chicago White Sox Houston a-lined out for Benintendi in the 5th. b-homered for Trammell in the 5th. c-ran for Grichuk in the 9th.<\/p>\n E_Walker (1), Vargas (1). LOB_Chicago White Sox 9, Houston 6. HR_C.Montgomery (1), Vel\u00e1zquez (1). RBIs_Antonacci 2 (2), Meidroth (1), C.Montgomery (1), Murakami (1), Vel\u00e1zquez 2 (2). SF_Murakami (1). S_Peters (1), Trammell (1).<\/p>\n Runners left in scoring position_Chicago White Sox 3 (Peters, Benintendi 2); Houston 4 (Smith, Alvarez, Vel\u00e1zquez, Diaz). RISP_Chicago White Sox 4 for 11; Houston 0 for 7.<\/p>\n GIDP_Meidroth, C.Montgomery, Teel.<\/p>\n DP_Houston 3 (Pe\u00f1a-Walker 2, Altuve-Pe\u00f1a-Walker).<\/p>\n Chicago White Sox H.Smith Hicks, W,1-0 Newcomb Sandlin, H,1 Taylor Houston Blubaugh, L,0-1 King Ullola Hendrickson VanWey Sousa Abreu Hader King pitched to 5 batters in the 2nd.<\/p>\n Inherited runners-scored_Taylor 1-0, King 2-0, Ullola 3-0. HBP_King (C.Montgomery), Hendrickson (Antonacci). WP_Sousa 2.<\/p>\n ABS Challenge_Diaz 2 (Ball-Overturned to Strike, Strike-Confirmed); Teel 3 (Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Overturned to Strike); Murakami (Strike-Confirmed).<\/p>\n Umpires_Home, Alex MacKay; First, Alex Tosi; Second, Ryan Additon; Third, Alan Porter; Right, Paul Clemons; Left, Edwin Moscoso.<\/p>\n T_3:13. A_34,011 (41,000).<\/p>\n After Christian Walker led off with a walk,\u00a0 Lucas Spence and Cam Smith struck out against Grant Taylor. Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez grounded out to third to end the game.\u00a0\u2014 Reid Laymance<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Josh Hader, who hadn\u2019t pitched since Wednesday against Seattle, is on for the ninth. He is the eighth pitcher of the game for Houston. Hader allowed one hit and retired the White Sox on 11 pitches.\u00a0\u2014 Reid Laymance<\/p>\n Jose Altuve beat out a ground ball to third to score Jeremy Pe\u00f1a with two outs in the eighth. The play was ruled an error on the first baseman, whose foot came off the bag.\u00a0 Pe\u00f1a and Yordan Alvarez had reached on one-out singles before Isaac Paredes struck out. The rally ended when Yainer Diaz struck out looking on a full count.\u00a0\u2014 Reid Laymance\u00a0<\/p>\n Bryan Abreu gets the eighth inning for the Astros. He hasn\u2019t\u00a0 pitched since Thursday against the Athletics. He retired the side in order on 11 pitches.\u00a0\u2014 Reid Laymance<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bennett Sousa uncorks a wild pitch, allowing one run to score and moving the other runner to third. He then strikes out Braden Montgomery, who reaches on another wild pitch, albeit with the runner holding at third. He then gets a double-play ball to avoid further damage heading into the seventh-inning stretch.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Two singles off Bennett Sousa and a sacrifice put runners on second and third for Chicago with former Texas A&M star Braden Montgomery up,\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The Astros go down in order in the sixth. Lefty Bennett Sousa is in to pitch the seventh for Houston.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n After Sean Newcomb retires Yordan Alvarez to lead off the bottom of the sixth, righty David Sandlin is coming in for the Astros’ pocket of righty hitters. It\u2019s still 5-2 White Sox.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Josh Hendrickson is out after giving up one run in 1 \u2154 innings. Righty Logan VanWey takes over with two outs and the bases empty in the sixth.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n With two outs in the fifth inning, Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez rockets a two-run, pinch-hit homer to the Crawford Boxes for Houston\u2019s first runs of the game.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n White Sox reliever Jordan Hicks, who was a third-round pick out of Cypress Creek High School in 2015, got four straight outs in relief of starter Hagen Smith. Hicks pitched a perfect 1 \u2153 innings with a strikeout. The White Sox are bringing in Sean Newcomb with a 5-0 lead and one out in the fifth.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Logan VanWey was getting warm in the Astros bullpen during the top of the fifth. If the Astros don\u2019t score some runs, you can expect Joe Espada to let VanWey and possibly Tatsuya Imai finish this one off once Josh Hendrickson is done. Then, you just hope Hunter Brown in Game 2 with your best relievers fully rested will mean a better day for the Astros tomorrow.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Chase Meidroth\u2019s infield single goes under Isaac Paredes’ glove and Jeremy Pe\u00f1a has no play, allowing a run to score. It\u2019s 5-0 White Sox.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The sacks are full for the White Sox for the third time today. There\u2019s one out in the fifth and Chase Meidroth is up against Josh Hendrickson.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n A leadoff walk and one-out single put runners on first and second for the White Sox against Josh Hendrickson.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Jordan Hicks sets the Astros down in order while hitting 100 mph on the radar gun.\u00a0Meantime, lefty Josh\u00a0Henrickson is coming in to pitch for the Astros. He just made his big-league debut last week.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Jordan Hicks, a Cypress Creek graduate, takes over on the mound for Hagen Smith to start the bottom of the fourth inning.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n White Sox manager Will Venable indicated pregame that tabbing left-hander Hagen Smith as his opener partly reflected the presence of Yordan Alvarez high in Houston\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re very right-handed up front but have a big hitter in the two-hole that we\u2019re concerned about,\u201d Venable said. \u201cWhen you looked at that, plus just the environment, who is going to be able to handle this moment, plus the quality of pitcher that we wanted, Hagen was the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith validated that confidence. In his three scoreless innings, he faced Alvarez twice, including with a runner on third base and two outs in the third. Alvarez grounded out both times.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n The game was delayed briefly as White Sox manager Will Venable challenged whether Jose Altuve was on the outfield grass on Sam Antonacci\u2019s grounder to second. The out stood, and Chicago lost the challenge. Miguel Ullola got out of the inning without further damage. Still 4-0 White Sox.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The White Sox moved\u00a0Colson Montgomery down to the ninth spot in the order after he hit .099 in September. He\u2019s responded by getting hit by a pitch in his first AB, then homering here in the fourth.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Colson Montgomery, Chicago\u2019s No. 9 hitter, cranks a leadoff home run off the center-field batter\u2019s eye to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead in the fourth. Estimated distance was 432 feet.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The\u00a0Astros got a runner in scoring position with two outs in the third, but Hagen Smith got Yordan Alvarez to ground out on the first pitch to end the threat.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV, who is from Chicago and a longtime White Sox fan, sent a letter the White Sox<\/a> that the team posted before Game 1. The letter talked about the value of sports and ended, \u201cWith these sentiments, I willingly invoke the Almighty\u2019s abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones.\u201d Perhaps that explains this early 3-0 White Sox lead. Where are the \u201cRally Nuns\u201d<\/a> when you need them?\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n After two prolonged innings to start this game, Miguel Ullola set down the White Sox in order in the third inning.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Miguel Ullola got three huge outs in the second inning on nine pitches. That kind of efficiency would be huge for however long Ullola goes. The Astros burned two pitchers to get their first three outs. Ullola is back out to start the third inning with nobody warming. Houston does have several multi-inning options in the bullpen\u00a0\u2014 including Tatsuya Imai\u00a0\u2014 but has to figure out how to piece together this game without torpedoing the bullpen for potentially the next two days. Ullola threw 35 pitches in his longest of 11 outings for the Astros this season, a three-inning appearance last Thursday against the A\u2019s.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n Houston goes down in order in the second inning.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Miguel Ullola strikes out Andrew Benintendi to leave the bases loaded in the top of the second. Remember that moment if the Astros come back.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Miguel Ullola gets Miguel Vargas to hit into a force at home and then strikes out the dangerous Munetaka Murakami for the second out of the second. Bases still loaded.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Bryan King gives up a hit to Kyle Teel to re-load the bases. He\u2019s pulled from the gam for Miguel Ullola and is serenaded with boos coming off the mound.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Bryan King gives up a two-run single to Sam Antonacci and the White Sox triple their lead. They have runners on first and second with no outs in the second inning.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Two singles and hitting No. 9 hitter Colson Montgomery have loaded the bases for the White Sox with no outs in the second inning against Bryan King.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Braden Montgomery, the former Texas A&M standout, singles through the right side to start the second inning for the White Sox, and Chase Meidroth follows with a hit to the same spot.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The Astros strand a runner to end their first time at the plate. Bryan King remains on the mound to pitch the second inning.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (first pitch) and Yordan Alvarez (three pitches) make two quick outs to start the bottom of the first before Isaac\u00a0Paredes singles to center for the Astros’ first hit.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Tristan Peters strikes out to end the top of the first inning, keeping the Astros’ deficit at one run.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Bryan King throws two balls before landing a strike, prompting a round of sarcastic applause.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The Astros were 22-49 this season when their opponent scored first.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n AJ Blubaugh walks Andrew Benintendi for his third free pass of the inning and has been lifted for Bryan King.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Munetaka Murakami gets the runner in from third with a sacrifice fly to right, giving the White Sox the series’ first run. Two outs and a runner on first for AJ Blubaugh.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n AJ Blubaugh just issued his second walk to put runners on first and third with one out. That prompts a visit from pitching coach Josh Miller before slugger Mutetaka Murakami comes up.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Three batters in, Bryan King is warming in the Astros’ bullpen.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n Kyle Teel grounds out to Christian Walker at first, but his throw to try to get Sam Antonacci at second skips into left field for an error, putting a runner at third with one out.\u00a0\u2014 Greg Rajan<\/p>\n The White Sox will strike out. Their offense had the second-highest swing-and-miss rate and fifth-highest strikeout rate in the majors this season. But they also had the sixth-highest walk rate and sixth-lowest chase rate. Astros pitchers issued the second-most walks in the sport this year. Sam Antonacci began this game by drawing an eight-pitch walk from AJ Blubaugh.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n AJ Blubaugh battles Sam Antonacci for seven pitches before issuing a leadoff walk. Not the start the Astros wanted, of course.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n AJ Blubaugh\u2019s first pitch to Sam Antonacci was a 95.3 mph fastball for a called strike, and Game 1 is underway.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Thanks to MLB\u2019s new deal with NBC, the first two games of the Astros-White Sox may not be as accessible for some fans. For more on\u00a0where to find NBCSN and how to watch the series, click here<\/a>.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Greg Rajan<\/p>\n Drew Saylor, who spent most of this season as the Triple-A Sugar Land hitting coach and joined the Astros in September to help out, delivered the lineup card for Houston before Game 1. Saylor also delivered the card before the regular-season finale Sunday against the A\u2019s and the Astros usually stick with the same person until they lose. Manager Will Venable took out the White Sox card.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n HP: Alex\u00a0MacKay Christian Walker, a country singer from Beaumont, sang the national anthem before Game 1 of Astros-White Sox. When Walker was introduced, Jose Altuve turned to Astros first baseman Christian Walker with hilariously wide eyes.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Having to go with a bullpen game for Game 1 of this wild-card series isn\u2019t ideal, but having Hunter Brown and Hayden Wesneski ready to go on full rest<\/a> for Game 2 and a potential Game 3 could work out well as they have been the club\u2019s two best starters down the stretch.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving those (two) guys healthy with regular rest is super valuable for us,\u201d Astros manager Joe Espada said before Game 1.\u00a0\u2014 Matt Young<\/p>\n Joe\u00a0Espada did not indicate pregame how far he hopes to take opener AJ Blubaugh today. Blubaugh threw 3 \u2154 innings in his longest outing of the regular season, but that was May 3<\/a> and his recent outings have been in the one- to two-inning range.<\/p>\n The White Sox lineup features six left-handed or switch-hitters in the first seven spots. Blubaugh held left-handed hitters to a .622 OPS this season, one reason he drew the starting assignment.<\/p>\n \u201c(Blubaugh) can go to places where we feel like we can create some swing-and-miss,\u201d Espada said. \u201cHopefully he sets the tone and then we can hand the ball off to the rest of the guys just depending on where we\u2019re in the lineup.\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Matt Kawahara<\/p>\n Geoff Blum has been a staple on Astros broadcasts during the team\u2019s golden era. But every time the playoffs began, he\u2019d become a spectator. Until this season. An MLB broadcasting change has resulted in a new opportunity for Blum, allowing him to call postseason games for the first time.<\/p>\n When the\u00a0Astros and White Sox start their series Tuesday, Blum will be on the call for\u00a0NBCSN with play-by-play man Tom McCarthy, fellow analyst Steve Stone, \u201cInside the Pitch\u201d analyst Adam Ottavino and field reporter Britney Eurton.<\/p>\n
\nAB
\nR
\nH
\nBI
\nBB
\nSO
\nAvg.<\/p>\n
\n3
\n1
\n1
\n2
\n1
\n0
\n.333<\/p>\n
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n—<\/p>\n
\n5
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n.200<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n1
\n.000<\/p>\n
\n3
\n2
\n1
\n1
\n1
\n2
\n.333<\/p>\n
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n1
\n.000<\/p>\n
\n3
\n0
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n.667<\/p>\n
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n—<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n4
\n1
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n2
\n.500<\/p>\n
\n4
\n1
\n2
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n.500<\/p>\n
\n3
\n1
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n1
\n.333<\/p>\n
\n34
\n6
\n11
\n5
\n4
\n8
\n.324<\/p>\n
\nAB
\nR
\nH
\nBI
\nBB
\nSO
\nAvg.<\/p>\n
\n4
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n.000<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n2
\n.000<\/p>\n
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n2
\n0
\n.000<\/p>\n
\n4
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n2
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n4
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n.250<\/p>\n
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n—<\/p>\n
\n3
\n1
\n1
\n2
\n0
\n1
\n.333<\/p>\n
\n33
\n3
\n6
\n2
\n2
\n7
\n.182<\/p>\n
\n2
\n3
\n4
\n5
\n6
\n7
\n8
\n9<\/p>\n
\nH
\nE<\/p>\n
\n1
\n2
\n0
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n\u2014
\n6
\n11
\n1<\/p>\n
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n\u2014
\n3
\n6
\n1<\/p>\n
\nIP
\nH
\nR
\nER
\nBB
\nSO
\nNP
\nERA<\/p>\n
\n3
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n38
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n1 1\/3
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n17
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n1
\n2
\n2
\n2
\n0
\n0
\n19
\n18.00<\/p>\n
\n1 1\/3
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n22
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n2 1\/3
\n2
\n1
\n0
\n1
\n5
\n54
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\nIP
\nH
\nR
\nER
\nBB
\nSO
\nNP
\nERA<\/p>\n
\n2\/3
\n0
\n1
\n0
\n3
\n0
\n27
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n1\/3
\n4
\n2
\n2
\n0
\n1
\n22
\n54.00<\/p>\n
\n3
\n1
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n4
\n31
\n3.00<\/p>\n
\n1 2\/3
\n3
\n1
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n37
\n5.40<\/p>\n
\n1\/3
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n3
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n1
\n2
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n1
\n13
\n9.00<\/p>\n
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n11
\n0.00<\/p>\n
\n1
\n1
\n0
\n0
\n0
\n1
\n11
\n0.00<\/p>\n
1B: Alex\u00a0Tosi
2B: Ryan Additon
3B: Alan Porter
LF: Edwin Moscoso
RF: Paul Clemons.<\/p>\n