The 2026 MLB Division Series opened Saturday, October 3, with the White Sox, Dodgers, Rays and Brewers grabbing early leads in their best-of-five matchups. Chicago and Tampa Bay delivered shutouts, Los Angeles powered its way past Atlanta, and Milwaukee rallied to edge San Diego. All four winners moved two victories from the League Championship Series.
White Sox Shut Out Guardians, 3-0
Munetaka Murakami supplied the biggest swing in Chicago’s 3-0 victory over Cleveland, breaking a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. His 440-foot drive followed a Miguel Vargas single and marked the first postseason home run of his career, giving the White Sox an advantage their pitching staff protected.
Chicago held Cleveland to three hits, with Bryan Hudson escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third inning before Murakami put the visitors ahead. Grant Taylor earned the save as the White Sox took the opener on the Guardians’ home field. Chicago leads the series 1-0, with Game 2 scheduled for Monday, October 5, in Cleveland.
Dodgers Power Past Braves, 5-3
The Dodgers used three home runs to defeat the Braves 5-3 and take a 1-0 series lead. Teoscar Hernández opened the scoring with a two-run homer, while Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy went deep during a decisive three-run sixth inning. Muncy’s blast was his 17th career postseason home run, establishing a Dodgers franchise record.
Sean Murphy’s solo homer in the sixth briefly pulled Atlanta within one run, but Los Angeles answered immediately to build a four-run cushion. Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer in the ninth, trimming the deficit, before the Dodgers secured the final outs. Atlanta will look to even the series in Game 2 on Sunday, October 4, at 8 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.
Rays Edge Yankees, 1-0
Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and struck out 10 as Tampa Bay defeated New York 1-0. Jonathan Aranda provided all the offense the Rays needed with a third-inning solo homer off Gerrit Cole, while Rasmussen worked eight scoreless innings.
Austin Wells broke up the no-hitter with a two-out double in the eighth, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. The out erased New York’s only hit and ended its best opportunity to threaten the lead. Bryan Baker struck out two in a perfect ninth to finish the shutout, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 series advantage. Game 2 is Monday, October 5, at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.
Brewers Rally Past Padres, 3-2
Milwaukee overcame an early two-run deficit to beat San Diego 3-2. The Padres scored in the second inning on Luis Campusano’s RBI single and Jake Cronenworth’s run-scoring fielder’s choice, but Jackson Chourio answered with a game-tying two-run homer in the third.
William Contreras delivered the deciding swing in the seventh, hitting a solo homer off Adrian Morejon. Milwaukee’s bullpen covered five scoreless innings after Jacob Misiorowski allowed two runs and struck out six over four frames, with Trevor Megill recording the final four outs for the save. San Diego collected nine hits but stranded 12 runners, leaving several opportunities unconverted. The Brewers lead the series 1-0 entering Game 2 on Sunday, October 4, at 4 p.m. ET in Milwaukee.
