CLEVELAND — Braden Montgomery was focused on finding “something to attack.” In Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Montgomery batted with the Chicago White Sox down by a run, runners on second and third, and two outs in the sixth inning. “I wasn’t playing the guessing game,” Montgomery explained. “Just ready for [reliever Erik Sabrowski’s] hardest stuff and ready for something over the plate. They were attacking me all night early on, and so got to be ready.” Montgomery delivered with a two-run opposite-field double to right field, putting the Sox ahead. He later scored on Chase Meidroth’s single, securing the Sox’s 4-3 victory in front of 32,050 fans at Progressive Field.

Sean Burke pitched excellently for 5 1/3 innings as Grant Taylor secured the final four outs, giving the Sox a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Rate Field.

The Sox mounted a comeback from a 2-0 deficit. “There’s no stopping, there’s just this mentality that we’re going to play all nine innings, all 27 outs, whatever happens, happens, there’s no letdown or discouragement from our group,” manager Will Venable stated. “They just continued to battle and battle.”

The Guardians initially took the lead when Nathaniel Lowe hit a high bounce ball with bases loaded and one out. Sox reliever Sean Newcomb had little chance to catch Steven Kwan at the plate when he collected the ball behind the mound. However, Newcomb’s throw missed its mark, allowing José Ramírez to score and making it 2-0 for Cleveland. This was the first time the Sox trailed in the postseason.

White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery celebrates after hitting a two-run double in the sixth inning against the Guardians in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Oct. 5, 2026, in Cleveland. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The Sox responded in the fourth inning. Kyle Teel singled for the team’s first hit against Guardians starter Gavin Williams. Miguel Vargas drew a walk, putting two runners on base with no outs for Munetaka Murakami. Murakami faced a 0-2 count but managed to work a full count before singling to right field, reducing the deficit to 2-1. Williams limited the Sox’s offense to one run and exited the game after giving up a leadoff single to Vargas in the sixth inning.

Vargas advanced to second on Murakami’s ground out against Sabrowski. Pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk drew a walk, and the runners moved to second and third due to a wild pitch during Tommy Pham’s at-bat. Pham flied out to shallow left field for the second out. Montgomery then stepped up, hitting a crucial two-run opposite-field double on the first pitch to give the Sox a 3-2 lead.

“I can’t even describe the energy that was running through me in that moment,” Montgomery shared. “Seeing the ball get down with two ducks on the pond was exhilarating. It was special to touch the bag, look back into the dugout and see my guys. It’s a feeling like no other.”

Venable praised Montgomery’s performance: “Obviously that’s a huge swing right there. We’ve seen him do that, use the opposite field really well on both sides of the plate. A huge at-bat to come through there with that double.”

Montgomery scored on Meidroth’s single against Hunter Gaddis, increasing the lead to 4-2.

Burke, the Sox’s pitcher, delivered a strong performance, allowing one run on one hit, striking out six, and walking one in his 5 1/3 innings. “I felt pretty good with everything tonight,” Burke admitted. “Our game plan was effective, and I executed it for the most part.” At one point, Burke retired 13 consecutive batters. “It was big-boy stuff,” Venable commented on Burke’s performance. “It was outstanding.” Burke left the field after allowing a two-out single to Chase DeLauter.

The Sox turned to Grant Taylor, who delivered a stellar four-inning save in Game 1 of the ALDS. “After catch play today, I felt really good,” Taylor expressed. “Told them I would be available for one. Was in there for 1 1/3 today.” Taylor allowed a run-scoring triple to Jo Adell off the left-center wall in the eighth, closing the gap to 4-3. However, in the ninth, Taylor benefited from a spectacular catch at the wall in left-center by center fielder Brenton Doyle, concluding the game.

“You hold your breath a little and you look down and you see it’s Brenton Doyle and you realize that if there’s anyone that’s got a chance at helping us, it’s going to be him,” Montgomery remarked. Doyle’s catch secured the win, and the Sox are ready to return home with a chance to clinch the series.

“Regardless of how this went here, really excited to be able to give playoff baseball to our fans,” Venable said. “And speaking of our fans, being in an environment like this and having fans here who we could hear and give us energy was really special for our guys. They have responded all year to fans, certainly on the road, and we know how special the fans are at home as well.”