Game 1 Is in the Books: Riley's Bomb, Rice's Slam, King's Near No-No, and a White Sox Win

For six innings, this was a pitchers' duel between Chris Sale (nine strikeouts, vintage ace stuff) and the Phillies' starter. Atlanta led 2-1 into the seventh. Then J.T. Realmuto, who spent the final week of the season inventing new ways to make outs, ripped a two-run triple to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead, and for about four minutes, Phillies fans allowed themselves to believe.

Then the eighth inning happened. Jhoan Duran came in, and Austin Riley launched a two-out, three-run homer (104.6 mph off the bat, 385 feet to right-center) that turned the whole game upside down. It was the first home run of the 2026 postseason, and it could not have been more on brand: Riley hit .219 with 19 homers in the regular season, and he picked the biggest at-bat of October so far to remind everyone he exists.

The Braves lead the series 1-0. In my preview I picked Atlanta in three, citing the Sale matchup, the bullpen mismatch, and Atlanta's 9-4 season-series dominance. Game 1 was that entire argument in miniature. The counterargument remains the same as it was in 2022 and 2023, when the Phillies crashed Atlanta's Octobers: this rivalry does not respect logic. But the Phillies now need to win two straight at Truist Park, starting today at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, or the season is over by dinner.

The Chicago White Sox, who followed consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth that still does not quite compute, walked into Houston and won a playoff game 6-3.

Both teams used openers, and the results were, to put it gently, different. Astros rookie AJ Blubaugh did not survive the first inning, walking three and watching the first run score before recording three outs. White Sox rookie Hagen Smith worked three scoreless innings in his second career start. Colson Montgomery, hitting ninth after striking out 34 times in his last 19 games, led off the fourth with a 432-foot blast to center for his first career postseason homer.

It is Chicago's first playoff win since 2021, and the White Sox are now one victory away from their first series win since sweeping these same Astros in the 2005 World Series. If you had that on your October bingo card, you are lying.

Game 2 is today at 5 p.m. ET in Houston. The Astros, who have been here approximately one thousand times, are in the unfamiliar and deeply uncomfortable position of needing to win or go home before October even gets going.

Yankee Stadium has hosted a lot of Red Sox nightmares. This one goes on the shelf with the rest.

Cam Schlittler, the Cy Young favorite, struck out 10 and carved up Boston's lineup, and Ben Rice had the night of his life: four hits, a solo homer in the second, and a grand slam in a five-run eighth that turned a laugher into a historical footnote. Rice drove in six runs. The Red Sox managed nothing, which the box score confirms with a clean, round zero.

The Yankees lead the series 1-0, and the tone of this one felt less like the start of a series and more like a message. Boston's path now requires winning two straight in the Bronx, starting tonight at 7 p.m. ET. The rivalry has produced crazier comebacks, but the Red Sox offense will need to show up first, and last night it never left the hotel.

Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, finished with seven scoreless frames, eight strikeouts, and one very unlucky infield single, as San Diego dismantled Chicago 8-0.

The Padres did their damage early and historically. Fernando Tatis Jr. ambushed the first pitch of the game from Matthew Boyd and sent it 405 feet to center, the first leadoff homer in Padres postseason history. Two batters later, Manny Machado pulled a Boyd changeup 391 feet to left. Xander Bogaerts added another Boyd changeup to the Western Metal Supply Co. building in the fourth. Boyd allowed four runs in four innings, serving up three homers on the same pitch, which is the kind of game plan that gets a pitching coach a long offseason.

King struck out NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong twice (a third K came against Yuki Matsui) and fanned Alex Bregman three times after Bregman entered the night 7-for-8 against him lifetime. The Cubs were no-hit through six and a third and finished with three hits. Joe Musgrove closed out the ninth in his first major league appearance since the 2024 postseason, completing his Tommy John comeback on the October stage.

In my preview I picked the Padres in three, and Game 1 was the entire thesis: San Diego's pitching and bullpen are built for exactly this kind of night. The Cubs' league-best offense now has to solve that puzzle tonight at 9 p.m. ET or their season ends in San Diego.

All four Game 1 winners are one win from the Division Series. All four Game 1 losers are playing for their seasons.

Phillies at Braves, 2 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Philadelphia's season on the line in the afternoon). White Sox at Astros, 5 p.m. ET, Peacock/NBCSN (Houston's season on the line at dinner). Red Sox at Yankees, 7 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Boston's season on the line in primetime). Cubs at Padres, 9 p.m. ET, Peacock/NBCSN (Chicago's season on the line at night).

Four elimination games in one day. October is officially here.