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Well, this is Red Barber from the Catbird Seat, and friends, we had ourselves quite a ballgame down in Chicago this afternoon. The White Sox came out before a fine crowd of over forty-three thousand, and they wasted no time in laying it on the Texas Rangers, taking the opener of this League Championship Series, 9–3.
The big story, no doubt about it, was left fielder Tony Castillo. He had himself a day, two hits, one of them a mighty three–run home run in the third inning. That blow turned the tide, stretched the Chicago lead, and from there the Rangers never really recovered. Castillo finished with four runs driven in, and when you get production like that in October, you’re putting yourself in the driver’s seat.
Now the White Sox pitching—Gustavo Bojorquez went deep into the game, over eight innings, scattering nine hits and allowing just three runs. He wasn’t fancy, he wasn’t overpowering, but he worked his way through trouble, and when you do that, you give your club a chance to win.
For Texas, Chris Neidich, well, he didn’t have it. He got tagged early, gave up six runs in less than three innings, and in a short series, that’s a tough way to start. The Rangers never quite found the spark after that.
So Chicago strikes first blood in this best–of–seven. The Sox have momentum, the crowd is behind them, and the Rangers will have to regroup in a hurry, because tomorrow afternoon they’ll be back at Guaranteed Rate Field for Game Two.
And friends, in October baseball, one game can change everything, but the White Sox have made it mighty clear—they’re not just here to be polite guests.
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