American League
A.J. Pierzynski homered twice, Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe and Scott Podsednik also connected, and Chicago scored five times in the first inning Tuesday en route to a 14-2 rout of the World Series champion Red Sox in their playoff opener.
Boston's eight-game postseason winning streak that carried the team to its first Major League Baseball title in 86 years last season, came to a sudden halt.
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Wednesday at US Cellular Field with Chicago's Mark Buehrle facing Boston's David Wells.
The victory was Chicago's first playoff victory since 1993.
Pierzynski's three-run homer off Matt Clement capped Chicago's first-inning outburst and sent a raucous, towel-waving crowd of 40,717 into delirium.
Konerko added a solo shot in the third and Uribe a two-run drive to finish Clement in the fourth. Podsednik, Chicago's speedy leadoff hitter who didn't have a homer all season, hit a three-run shot off Jeremi Gonzalez in the sixth. Pierzynski connected again in the eighth.
Jose Contreras, who was 2-4 with an 11.67 ERA in his career against the Red Sox, allowed eight hits and two runs in 7 2-3 innings in his first playoff start.
Clement, who lost three of his final five regular-season starts, struggled with his control at the outset, hitting Podsednik and Jermaine Dye with pitches.
Podsednik stole third and after Konerko sent a long drive to left that was foul, he put the White Sox ahead with an RBI grounder to third.
Carl Everett followed with a single before Aaron Rowand sent an RBI single over shortstop for a 2-0 lead. The din increased moments later when Pierzynski, a veteran of playoff games with Minnesota, lined his three-run homer to left-center.
Yankees 4, Angels 2
At Anaheim, California, Mike Mussina pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning, rookie Robinson Cano lined a three-run double in the first and New York beat Los Angeles' Bartolo Colon again to win Game 1 of their American League division series.
Mariano Rivera saved it for the Yankees, who looked completely fresh -- even after a cross-country trek on the heels of a seven-game road trip to end the regular season. They traveled West late Sunday, one day after clinching their eighth consecutive AL East title with a victory over the rival Red Sox in Boston.
Darin Erstad's RBI single cut it to 4-2 in the ninth, only the 10th earned run Rivera has allowed in 71 career postseason appearances. But the right-hander got pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman on a popup with a runner on first to seal the victory.
New York wasted little time getting to Colon, a 21-game winner and leading contender for the AL Cy Young Award.
The Angels' ace allowed three straight two-out singles in the first to the middle of New York's order -- Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui -- prompting a visit from pitching coach Bud Black. Cano then lined a double to left, clearing the bases.
Colon, who allowed three home runs to A-Rod on April 26 in the first of 10 meetings between the teams this season, plunked Rodriguez in the back in the second after allowing a two-out single to Jeter. Giambi followed with an RBI double to the corner in right.
Bengie Molina hit a solo home run for the Angels, who captured their second straight AL West crown a week earlier and won 14 of their final 16 games.
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