Guardians Blank White Sox 2-0 to Complete ALDS Comeback
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in Game 5 on Oct. 10 at Progressive Field to win the American League Division Series.
Cleveland trailed the best-of-five series 2-0. First to three wins takes it. The Guardians won the last three straight to advance, The Guardian reported.
Jose Ramirez scored both runs. He hit a two-run home run off Sean Burke. It was his second straight game with a homer.
Ramirez had forced Game 5 with a big night in Chicago. He homered and drove in three runs in Cleveland's 9-5 win in Game 4.
Gavin Williams made that lead stand up. The right-hander started Game 5 on short rest and threw scoreless ball with 12 strikeouts. He did not allow a hit until Kyle Teel singled with two outs in the sixth.
Williams tied Cleveland's record for strikeouts in a postseason game. He generated 22 swings and misses. Guardians pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts, the most in a nine-inning postseason game.
The workload was unusual. Williams earned the save in Game 4 two days earlier after starting Game 2, a 4-3 Cleveland loss. He became the third pitcher in postseason history to get the last out of one game and start the next with his team facing elimination in both.
He finished the series with 24 strikeouts over three games. That tied for the second-most in a best-of-five postseason series.
Cleveland's bullpen closed it without a run. Erik Sabrowski entered with the bases loaded and struck out Munetaka Murakami. Hunter Gaddis recorded four outs in relief.
Then came Cade Smith. He earned his first career five-out save, meaning he recorded the final five outs to finish a close win. He struck out the side in the ninth. He fanned Tristan Peters for the final out.
Chicago managed three hits in Game 5. The White Sox struck out 75 times in the five-game series.
Chicago took a 2-0 series lead with a 4-3 win built on a sixth-inning rally. Cleveland answered with the 9-5 win in Game 4 and the shutout in Game 5.
What makes this stand out is how fast the roles flipped. Williams went from closer to starter in two days. Ramirez went from table-setter to the whole offense. And a bullpen asked for 10 outs got all 10.
Chicago still made history getting here. The White Sox were the first team to reach the playoffs after three straight 100-loss seasons.
Cleveland moves on. The Guardians will open the American League Championship Series at Tampa Bay, with the next game listed for Oct. 12 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Cleveland is seeking its first World Series appearance since 2016.
