White Sox vs. Astros live updates, news, starting pitchers for Game 1: Hagen Smith, AJ Blubaugh take the mound to open wild card

Key Points:

• Miguel Ullola has retired six consecutive White Sox batters since entering the game with bases loaded and no outs, striking out three in two innings while keeping his pitch count low, helping Houston limit damage despite trailing 3-0.
• Houston's bullpen struggled early as reliever Bryan King loaded the bases and allowed a two-run single, extending Chicago's lead to 3-0; starter AJ Blubaugh also had a rough outing, walking three batters and lasting only two-thirds of an inning.
• The Astros clinched the 2026 AL West division title with a disappointing 81-81 record, marking the worst record ever for a division winner, largely due to strong performances from Yordan Alvarez and weak competition in their division.
• Houston's postseason seeding places them as the No. 3 seed in the American League, hosting a wild-card series against the No. 6 seed Chicago White Sox, while the Rays and Guardians secured the top two seeds with first-round byes.
• The playoff format awards home-field advantage to higher seeds in the wild-card and subsequent rounds, with the Yankees and Red Sox also competing in the wild-card round as the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively.