Giolito loses perfect game in 7th inning, White Sox beat A's in Game 1

Lucas Giolito made it look easy in his first career postseason start.

The Chicago White Sox ace took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of their American League wild-card series Tuesday, helping Chicago secure a 4-1 win to put the AL West champions on the brink of elimination in the best-of-three series.

Athletics second baseman Tommy La Stella ended Giolito's bid for the historic feat with a single to start the seventh.

Giolito surrendered one earned run on just two hits, walked one batter, and struck out eight while throwing 100 pitches over seven innings. The 26-year-old left in the eighth with nobody out after allowing a pair of Athletics runners to get on base.

"I usually don't love day games, because I'm not a morning person," Giolito joked postgame, according to James Fegan of The Athletic.

The right-hander's eight strikeouts are tied for second-most in White Sox postseason history.

Don Larsen is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game during the playoffs, which he managed in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Giolito threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates in late August.