MATT FOSTER

Local health officials are warning about COVID’s impact on hospitals, even as Governor Ralph Northam announces an emergency order.

Brian Goodwin led off the 10th inning with a two-run homer, and the Chicago White Sox regrouped after Craig Kimbrel blew a three-run lead against his former team to beat the rebuilding crosstown Cubs 8-6 at Wrigley Field.

Hall of Famer manager Tony La Russa's second stint with the Chicago White Sox is off to a bumpy start.

Shohei Ohtani hit a 451-foot homer and pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning in a historic two-way performance, and Jared Walsh hit a walkoff homer in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Matt Foster walks to the dugout after retiring the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning of Game 3 of an American League wild-card baseball series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

It's been a feast-or-famine postseason on the pitcher's mound so far. Then there were teams like the Indians and Chicago White Sox, whose seasons are over in large part because of control problems that popped up at the worst possible time. The Atlanta-Cincinnati contest was the first postseason game to be scoreless after 11 innings. San Diego was only in that position because the Cardinals couldn't hold off the Padres' sluggers Thursday. The White Sox ended up using nine pitchers and Oakland used eight.

Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer in the fourth against Codi Heuer as wives and families cheered from suites high above the diamond. Oakland stopped a nine-game losing streak in winner-take-all postseason games, a major league record that dated to the 1973 World Series. The low-budget A's had not captured a winner-take-all postseason game since beating Hall of Famer Willie Mays and the New York Mets. The decision made perfect sense: The White Sox went 14-0 in the regular season against left-handed starters and beat southpaw Jesús Luzardo in Game 1 on Tuesday. His home run to left-center traveled 487 feet, the second-longest of the postseason and furthest by a White Sox player since 2015, according to MLB Stats.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)CLEVELAND – With one sweet swing, José Ramírez pushed the Cleveland Indians into the playoffs and strengthened his case for the AL MVP award. Ramírez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, giving Cleveland a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox that clinched a postseason berth Tuesday night. Aces Lucas Giolito of the White Sox and Shane Bieber of the Indians face off Wednesday. Earlier in the inning, White Sox manager Rick Renteria and shortstop Tim Anderson were ejected by umpire Ángel Hernández after Luis Robert looked at a called third strike. Indians: RHP Jefry Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) is on the 45-day injured list and will not pitch again this season.