Division Series: Home Teams Dominate Game 1s

After the Chicago White Sox opened the day with a win, the three home teams – the Dodgers, Rays and Brewers – all secured victories in their Division Series openers. Los Angeles and Tampa Bay received strong outings from their starting pitchers, while Milwaukee benefited from timely hitting and favorable breaks.

White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami stole the spotlight with a thunderous 112 mph home run in the fourth inning, giving Chicago an early lead they would not relinquish. The 440-foot blast was the hardest-hit ball of the playoffs so far, as Murakami connected on a 93 mph sinker and watched it sail into the right-field seats before celebrating with his teammates. rocore.sbs