The Opener: Luzardo, Judge, Game 1 Starters

Both Chicago teams are in the playoffs for the first time since the shortened 2020 season. As Jon Morosi of MLB Network points out, Tuesday is just the ninth time ever that the White Sox and Cubs have played a postseason game on the same day. 1. Luzardo to start Game 1 The Phillies will hand the ball to left-hander Jesus Luzardo for Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Braves. He missed most of September with shoulder inflammation. Philadelphia, desperately needing a win on Sunday, activated Luzardo off the IL to use him as a reliever. He tossed four pitches in an inning out of the bullpen. Luzardo emerged from the outing without issue, setting him up to start today. “We wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t come out feeling normal,” interim manager Don Mattingly said (h/t Matt Gelb of The Athletic). “He felt good.” 2. Judge’s playoff roster spot One of the biggest question marks heading into the Wild Card round is whether Aaron Judge will be on the Yankees’ roster. He’s publicly pushed to be on the team, but manager Aaron Boone has been noncommittal about the club’s plans for the three-time MVP. Judge is dealing with a calf strain. The severity of the injury has been a frequent discussion, with differing reports from the player and coach. Judge missed more than three months with a rib injury. He made it back for seven games in September before going down again. 3. Starters revealed for Tuesday The postseason will officially begin with Luzardo vs. Chris Sale at 1 pm CT. The White Sox and Astros are rolling with bullpen games. Hagen Smith and AJ Blubaugh will draw the nods, but both are likely limited to an inning or two. The premier pitching matchup of the day will be Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle against Yankees righty Cam Schlittler. The Cubs and Padres will close the slate with Matthew Boyd taking on Michael King. Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images View Comments (1)