Chicago White Sox fall to Cleveland Guardians 2-0, ending unexpected postseason run that electrified fans
The Chicago White Sox's playoff hopes ended in Cleveland Saturday night as they fell 2-0 to the Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS.
Gavin Williams had 12 of 21 strikeouts by Cleveland pitchers, José Ramírez homered on a pitch just above home plate and the Guardians completed a comeback from an 0-2 deficit in their best-of-five AL Division Series.
Chicago, the first team to reach the playoffs after three straight 100-loss seasons, has not won the World Series since 2005.
Ramírez homered on a knuckle-curve 0.74 feet above ground, the lowest pitch hit for a postseason home run since tracking started in 2008, according to MLB Statcast, and the lowest hit by Ramirez in his 14-year big league career.
Steven Kwan had singled leading off the fourth ahead of Ramírez's sixth postseason homer, which went just over the wall near the right-field line.
Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi struck out four times each, and Teel and Chase Meidroth three times apiece.
Cleveland opens the AL Championship Series at Tampa Bay on Monday night, seeking its first World Series trip since 2016. The Guardians/Indians franchise hasn't won the title since 1948, the longest drought among MLB teams.
Guardians pitchers set a record for strikeouts in a nine-inning postseason game. The White Sox got just three hits, put only nine balls in play and struck out 75 times over the series.
"It was less about chase and more about being attacked in the zone and swing and miss in the zone," White Sox manager Will Venable said. ". Just didn't have what it would have took to move some balls forward there."
Cleveland became just the 11th team to win a best-of-five series among the 96 that fell behind 0-2.
Two days after saving Game 4, Williams became just the third pitcher in postseason history to get the last out of a game and start the following game when his team faced elimination in both.
He didn't allow a hit until Kyle Teel looped a knuckle-curve into right field with two outs in the sixth, two innings after Ramírez homered for the second straight game, a two-run drive off Sean Burke.
After a walk loaded the bases, Erik Sabrowski relieved and struck out Murakami on a foul tip, the pitcher letting out a yell.
Williams' 12 strikeouts tied Cleveland's record for a postseason game. He got 22 swings and misses, and his 24 strikeouts over three games tied for second-most in a best-of-five postseason series.
Hunter Gaddis followed Sabrowski and got four outs, and Cade Smith finished for his first career five-out save, striking out the side in the ninth. He blew a fastball by Tristan Peters for the final out, setting off a celebration at Progressive Field.
Southsiders gather to watch the Sox together, and hope
South Sider fans brought high energy and high hopes to Ramova Theater in Bridgeport for the ALDS Game 5 watch party, hoping their magical season could continue.
"It's going to be amazing. I hope they go to the World Series," said fan Nicholas Hernandes.
Gael Mendoza came decked out in his Southpaw mascot costume, along with his mother Vanessa.
"Couldn't miss it. I had two more events tonight and I was like I'm sorry – I went to the Wednesday game, the Thursday game, and it didn't happen, so I was like it has to happen today," she said. "If it doesn't, I already had the thought process of it'll happen soon, but I'm hoping this year."
Ramova Theater has hosted watch parties throughout the Sox's playoff run.
"It's super great coming to Ramova, it feels just like we're at the stadium," said fan Julie Rodriguez. "It's the next best thing."
And fans like the Rodriguez family said if they can't be at the game, they wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
"We wanted to be somewhere with our own people on the South Side," Fernando Rodriguez said.
While fans ended up leaving Ramova deflated after the Sox lost, they told CBS News Chicago their spirits and their hopes for the future of the team are still high.
"I mean yeah, nobody wanted to see them lose but if anything, I'm super proud of the team for making it this far," said Sox fan Joey as he left the Ramova. "And I think the chemistry that these guys have, they can definitely make a run later on. That's what sucks to me, is these guys had a chance and it's just the pressure got high. I think the team was, just felt that pressure and everyone wanted to perform, and were just too desperate and chasing pitches that, they just had to relax. But a lot of the team, it's OK, it's the first time they get this playoff experience but I hope next year they can do it again."
Chicago was 9-8 against the Guardians this year, but Cleveland was able to win its third straight AL Central title by one game over the White Sox, which gave the Guardians home-field advantage for this series.
"We would obviously have loved to win Game 3 or 4. There's been a couple of times that Vogter and I have just looked at each other and laughed because this is just how it goes with these two clubs. And I think it's a special thing," Venable said. "If you look at just the story of the battle that we've had with these guys throughout this season coming down to that last weekend for the division and then here we are with a Game 5 for a chance to go to the CS, I think it's fitting two really good clubs that are both just very competitive, really talented, and the heart and soul of the club and identity of the club comes through, and I think it's been cool to watch that play out in competition throughout the year."
