CLEVELAND -- Parker Messick will be the first rookie pitcher to start a postseason game for the Cleveland Guardians since 2016 when the left-hander takes the mound for Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Gavin Williams will start Game 2 on Monday.
"They've been our two best pitchers. They've earned it and then some," manager Stephen Vogt said Thursday. "Just with how the last week went, how the rotation's kind of set up, it puts them in the best positions for success."
The 25-year-old Messick went 12-9 in 32 starts this season, including a 2-1 mark with a 2.81 ERA in five starts against the White Sox. He leads MLB qualified rookies in innings pitched (183⅓), was second in strikeouts (191), tied for second in wins and ERA and fourth in opponent batting average (.212). His overall 2.56 ERA is the lowest by a rookie in a single season (minimum 30 starts) since the Mets' Jon Matlack in 1972.
Williams went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and was second in the majors with 248 strikeouts. The White Sox went 7-6 in the season series after Cleveland took 11 of 13 last season.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing