Lucas Giolito's 7-plus innings of 2-hit ball lift the White Sox to a 4-1 win over the A's in Game 1 of the best-of-3 AL wild-card series
OAKLAND, Calif. — Lucas Giolito took a perfect game into the seventh inning Tuesday in Game 1 of the Chicago White Sox’s wild-card series against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum.
Tommy La Stella ended the bid for perfection with a single to center to start the seventh, and Giolito allowed one run on two hits in seven-plus stellar innings as the Sox defeated the A’s 4-1.
Giolito struck out eight and walked one as the Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Adam Engel, Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal provided the offense with home runs.
Engel hit a solo home run to left off Jesus Luzardo on an 0-2 fastball in the second.
Tim Anderson, who had three hits, singled to start the third. Third baseman Jake Lamb made nice defensive plays to retire the next two batters. Abreu got ahead in the count 2-0 and hit a Luzardo fastball over the wall in left-center, extending the lead to 3-0.
And then all the attention turned to Giolito.
The right-hander pitched a no-hitter Aug. 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field. He walked one in that game and matched a career high with 13 strikeouts.
He struck out the side in the sixth Tuesday.
La Stella hit a 2-2 changeup back up the middle in the seventh for Oakland’s first hit. Giolito struck out the next two and got Matt Olson to pop out to third baseman Yoan Moncada in foul territory to end the inning.
The eight strikeouts are tied for the second-most in a postseason game in Sox history. Ed Walsh had 12 in Game 3 of the 1906 World Series against the Cubs. Britt Burns had eight in Game 3 of the 1983 American League Championship Series against the Baltimore Orioles, and Eddie Cicotte had eight in Game 3 of the 1917 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Grandal homered to right off Joakim Soria on a 3-2 changeup in the eighth, making it 4-0.
Giolito returned for the eighth and surrendered a walk and a single before exiting.
Evan Marshall replaced Giolito and got Ramon Laureano to hit into a fielder’s choice as Mark Canha scored.
The A’s brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the eight, but Aaron Bummer got La Stella to bounce into a forceout to end the threat.
Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth for the save to cap the first playoff game for the Sox since 2008.
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