​Two bullpen games entered. One disintegrated almost immediately. Game 1 of the American League wild-card series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros did not feature the caliber of pitching typically associated with a postseason series opener. Not only were these the two weakest teams to qualify for the postseason, but also both clubs exhausted their top arms this past weekend as they continued to chase division titles. Astros ace Hunter Brown and White Sox innings leader Sean Burke both pitched Friday, making a Tuesday turnaround too tight. As such, it was a pair of rookies in Houston right-hander AJ Blubaugh and Chicago lefty Hagen Smith who squared off as the de facto starting pitchers in Game 1. They served as the opening acts for a parade of relievers to follow, as the two undermanned clubs sought the 27 outs required to begin their postseason run on the right foot. The White Sox emerged victorious, taking Game 1 by a score of 6-3.Unfortunately for Houston, the bullpen door had to open even earlier than planned. Blubaugh lost the strike zone in the top of the first inning, sending the Astros’ mound strategy spiraling from the get-go. Blubaugh — who led major-league relievers in innings pitched in the regular season, with a whopping 96 frames across 64 appearances, but was making his first start of the year — walked three of the five batters he faced and recorded only two outs before he was replaced by left-hander Bryan King. Prior to that, a throwing error from first baseman Christian Walker allowed leadoff man Sam Antonacci (who walked) to reach third base and eventually score on a sacrifice fly from Munetaka Murakami that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead. It was a sloppy start all around for the 81-win Astros, the worst division winner in modern baseball history.on the board! pic.twitter.com/Zpa7RmtUV7— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 29, 2026King escaped the top of the first with the Astros down only 1-0, but he struggled upon returning to the mound. Five straight Chicago hitters reached to open the second inning, a stretch that included a two-RBI single from Antonacci. Once again, Astros manager Joe Espada needed to make a pitching change before he would’ve liked, calling on another rookie in right-hander Miguel Ullola to clean up the mess. Ullola succeeded in keeping the score 3-0, but the damage was already done, and the Astros’ bats were making minimal progress rallying back. Chicago’s bullpen adventure got off to a much smoother start thanks to Smith, who emerged down the stretch as a valuable multi-inning weapon. The fifth overall pick in 2024 — those White Sox were 27-71 on the day he was drafted — Smith was selected with the idea that he could one day start a postseason game, once the Sox launched themselves out of their deep rebuild. These likely weren’t quite the circumstances the organization envisioned; Smith still has a lot to prove to become a reliable major-league starting pitcher. But the 23-year-