CLEVELAND -- Parker Messick will be the first rookie pitcher to start in 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 get the start for 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."
Ryan Merritt was the last rookie pitcher to get a postseason start for Cleveland. He threw 4 1/3 shutout innings in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series against Toronto a decade ago.
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 this season. He leads MLB qualified rookies in innings pitched (183 1/3), 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 posted a 2.32 ERA in 1972, when he won NL Rookie of the Year. It is also the lowest ERA for a Cleveland left-hander since Cliff Lee (2.54) in 2008.
"He's taken the ball every time and given us a chance to win," Vogt said. "Just the way he pitches, it just felt right to go with Parker."
Williams went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and was second in the majors with 248 strikeouts.The right-hander held opposing hitters to a .213 batting average, tied for seventh best in the majors.
"We saw Gavin respond really well with some extra days of rest," Vogt said. "So all of that stuff kind of went into play."
With Chicago dispatching Houston in two games, the Guardians got a jump on preparing for their AL Central rival. The White Sox went 7-6 in the season series after Cleveland took 11 of 13 last season.
"What the White Sox have done this year has been really special," Vogt said. "I give Chris Getz and Will Venable a ton of credit for what they've done. It's been fun to watch.
"We enjoy playing each other. They can pound the baseball and they've got some really good arms and their defense is good and their roster is very deep. They match up well, so we got our work cut out for us."
