White Sox fall to Guardians 9-5, head back to Cleveland for winner-take-all Game 5 in ALDS on Saturday
The White Sox will need to win one more game in Cleveland to beat the Guardians in the American League Division Series after losing both games at home, falling 9-5 on Thursday night.
The winner-take-all Game 5 will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Cleveland.
José Ramírez homered and drove in three runs, Patrick Bailey also went deep, and Game 2 starter Gavin Williams came out of the bullpen to get the last three outs as the Guardians won for the second consecutive day after beginning their postseason with two straight losses at home. Jo Adell hit a two-run single to cap a six-run sixth inning for the AL Central champions.
"This team has answered all year," manager Stephen Vogt said. "We talk about it — we punch back."
Cleveland is looking to become the first major league team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series since the 2017 New York Yankees accomplished the feat against, well, Cleveland. Teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win 83 of 93 times.
Game 5 is back in Cleveland on Saturday night, and the winner will open the American League Championship Series at Tampa Bay next Monday.
"As we've battled back and forth with these guys, obviously fitting that it's going to come down to this," White Sox manager Will Venable said.
Chicago's bullpen — one of its biggest strengths in a surprising season — is suddenly looking very tired. Grant Taylor was hit hard after pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings over the first two games of the series, allowing four runs and four hits without retiring any of the six batters he faced during Cleveland's rally in the sixth.
Miguel Vargas homered late for the White Sox, who flopped in their second straight bid to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Sam Antonacci drove in two runs.
All-Star closer Cade Smith worked a scoreless eighth for the Guardians but then gave up Vargas' first postseason homer and a walk to start the ninth. He was replaced by Williams, who was making his first career relief appearance and could still start Game 5 as well.
The right-hander needed 18 pitches to get three outs after throwing 98 pitches on Monday. He was the seventh Guardians reliever as the teams combined to use 15 pitchers in a game that took 3 hours, 39 minutes.
Williams went 14-8 this season and led the AL with 248 strikeouts.
Cleveland trailed 2-0 before rallying in the fifth. Bailey led off with a pinch-hit homer, and Steven Kwan chased Erick Fedde with a one-out single.
Jordan Hicks came in and Ramírez drove a 99.9 mph fastball deep to right-center for just his second homer since Sept. 1, a span of 26 games. The seven-time All-Star had surgery after he broke a bone in his left hand on a swing June 13.
"It was José Ramírez being José Ramírez in the playoffs," Vogt said. "Bring in a fastball, Hicks with a great fastball, and Josy got to it. To step up, say there he goes again."
It was Ramírez's first postseason homer since 2024 and No. 5 overall. He also starred in Game 3, finishing with two hits and two RBIs in Cleveland's 9-3 victory.
"It was really special," Ramírez said through a translator. "It was great energy out there, and very special to share this with the guys."
Chicago responded with two runs in the bottom half, sending a charge through the crowd of 39,920. Antonacci was hit by a pitch from Tim Herrin with the bases loaded, and Brenton Doyle made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. The White Sox had the bases loaded with two down, but rookie Braden Montgomery struck out swinging against winning pitcher Erik Sabrowski.
Antonacci has been plunked 33 times this year, including a franchise-record 29 in the regular season. The rookie became the first player in postseason history to be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded multiple times in a career, after he was also plunked in the same situation in Game 3.
Losing pitcher Anthony Kay started the sixth for Chicago, but the left-hander was replaced by Taylor after Travis Bazzana's RBI double tied it at 4. Bailey greeted Taylor with a run-scoring single, and Cleveland started to pull away.
Walks by Brayan Rocchio and Kwan loaded the bases for Ramírez, who made it 6-4 with an infield single. Chase DeLauter added another run-scoring single before Adell capped the outburst with a liner to right that drove in Kwan and Ramírez.
"I feel like we've been impacting the baseball a lot better the last two games," Bailey said. "Obviously, the more you see a certain guy, kind of not necessarily more comfortable, but you get to see that kind of shapes more and more. Definitely helps."
Adell hit a three-run triple during Cleveland's Game 3 victory. He has four hits, three walks and six RBIs in the series.
White Sox haven't clinched a playoff series at home in over a century
The White Sox have won the World Series three times — in 1906, 1917 and 2005. But ever since the White Sox beat the Cubs in the World Series (yes, that actually happened) in 1906, they have only ever clinched playoff series on the road.
For perspective, old Comiskey Park — the long-ago-demolished stadium that evokes memories of an old different Chicago for many — would not be built yet for four years in 1906. The White Sox played at the last of three stadiums called South Side Park about half a mile away.
Meanwhile, despite their loss on Wednesday night, the Sox still have plenty of confidence — and so do their fans.
"Anxious. Anxious, but hopeful," said a White Sox fan named Ernie. "I was in these same seats in '05, so I'm hoping for a repeat, but this time, they'll clinch at home."
The fact that the pope is a White Sox fan for the first time ever is not lost on fans either.
"It's surreal — a pope from Chicago. You'd never forget it," said Anthony Skokal. "It's brought the city together in many ways, and hopefully, it'll continue to be that way."
More than 40,000 fans packed into Rate Field on Wednesday night. Even though the White Sox lost, they are still leading the American League Division Series against Cleveland two games to one.
To our east, the New York Yankees are out of the playoffs after they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night. Thus, the White Sox will play Tampa Bay once they head to the American League Championship Series. That's right — when, not if.
It was an electric start to the morning Thursday as Sox fans woke up. Some kids from Bridgeport Catholic Academy couldn't contain their excitement as they headed to school.
"I'm hoping to see [Mnuetaka] Murakami, four for four, four homers!" one of the boys said. " I say they win 15 to nothing!"
It's a good thing the boys from Bridgeport Catholic Academy don't have school on Friday, because regardless of the outcome of Game 4 Thursday night, they'll be staying up late to watch.
Mike Secof is the grandfather of one of the boys in the Bridgeport Catholic Academy Group. Thursday happened to be his birthday, and he said it would just be the best gift to see his team win this series at home on Thursday night.
"You know, they tried defense last night, and it's only one game, and this is this is the clincher tonight," Secof said. "I'm optimistic about tonight."
Tens of thousands will be back at Rate Field on Thursday evening for Game 4.
