Montgomery’s double lifts White Sox past Guardians 4-3 for 2-0 ALDS lead

Braden Montgomery’s two-run double turned a difficult night against Gavin Williams into another White Sox postseason win. Chicago beat Cleveland 4-3 at Progressive Field on Monday, took a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series and moved within one victory of the ALCS.

The White Sox won despite trailing for the first time in these playoffs. Cleveland scored twice in the opening inning, Williams struck out 11, and Jo Adell nearly tied the game with a drive to the wall in the eighth. Chicago answered with one concentrated rally and enough relief pitching to protect it.

The decisive stretch began with Miguel Vargas’ single leading off the sixth. Williams left after that hit, having completed five innings and faced one batter in the sixth. Munetaka Murakami’s groundout moved Vargas to second against Erik Sabrowski, and pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk walked. A wild pitch advanced both runners before Tommy Pham flied out.

Montgomery kept the inning alive with two outs. His double down the right-field line scored Vargas and Grichuk for a 3-2 lead. Chase Meidroth then singled against Hunter Gaddis, bringing Montgomery home with the run that ultimately separated the teams.

MLB’s official clip shows Montgomery delivering the lead-changing hit.

Sean Burke gave that rally time to develop. Entering with one out in the third, he worked 5⅓ innings, allowed one hit and one run, struck out six and walked one. His 83-pitch relief appearance carried Chicago into the eighth after the opening combination of Anthony Kay and Sean Newcomb had left it behind.

Cleveland’s first-inning advantage started with Steven Kwan’s single and José Ramírez’s walk. Newcomb replaced Kay after Chase DeLauter advanced the runners, then intentionally walked Adell. Nathaniel Lowe reached on Newcomb’s throwing error, allowing Kwan and Ramírez to score.

Williams kept that lead intact until the fourth. Kyle Teel recorded Chicago’s first hit with a leadoff single, Vargas walked, and Murakami singled Teel home. Williams finished with four hits, three walks and two runs charged to him on 98 pitches. Chicago’s sixth-inning rally followed his departure, with his inherited runner scoring.

The final scare came after DeLauter singled with two outs in the eighth. Grant Taylor took over for Burke, and Adell tripled on his first pitch, cutting the lead to 4-3. Lowe’s flyout stranded the tying run at third. Taylor then retired Cleveland in order in the ninth for a four-out save.

Chicago is 4-0 in the postseason, with all four wins on the road. Game 3 is Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern at Rate Field. Cleveland must win three straight to advance; the White Sox need one more win to reach their first ALCS since 2005.