On Thursday evening, the Cleveland Guardians rallied back repeatedly during Game 4 of the ALDS on the road, defeating the Chicago White Sox with a 9-5 victory. By securing this win, Cleveland successfully forced a decisive Game 5 on Saturday night in their home stadium, overcoming an initial 2-0 series deficit after dropping the opening pair of matchups. The winner of this final game will advance to match up against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS.
Cleveland found themselves in an early 2-0 hole and trailed 4-3 following five innings as Chicago sought to secure the series victory on their own turf. However, the Guardians answered back dramatically, putting up a six-run sixth inning to transform their one-run disadvantage into a commanding five-run lead. This proved to be an insurmountable hurdle for the White Sox, whose drought of clinching a playoff series in front of their home fans stretches back to the 1906 World Series.
Additionally, Chicago boasts a perfect 5-0 record when playing in potential road-clinching scenarios (not counting the fan-free 2020 season, which lacked authentic away environments)—which could be an encouraging omen ahead of Game 5. Below is a breakdown of how the events unfolded in Game 4.
An exchange of blows during the middle frames
With Chicago holding a 2-0 advantage entering the fifth frame, the matchup appeared destined to be a low-scoring affair—consistent with a broader trend this postseason in which squads scoring at least four runs held a perfect 17-0 record prior to Thursday. Nevertheless, Patrick Bailey launched a solo home run in the top half of the fifth to pull Cleveland within one. Shortly after, José Ramírez welcomed Chicago reliever Jordan Hicks by blasting a two-run shot, shifting the lead over to the Guardians at 3-2.
The White Sox quickly launched a counterattack of their own. After a leadoff free pass and another walk with one out, Munetaka Murakami singled to left, loading up the bases. Sam Antonacci then drew a hit-by-pitch to force home a runner and knot the score at 3-3. A sacrifice fly from Brenton Doyle followed, putting Chicago back on top 4-3. When Kyle Teel walked to fill the bases once more, Cleveland brought in reliever Erik Sabrowski, who halted the surge by striking out Braden Montgomery to escape the jam.
That strikeout felt massive in the moment, though its ultimate significance would soon become even more apparent.
Cleveland breaks the game wide open in the sixth frame
Following the first out of the inning, Cleveland left fielder Angel Martínez reached base after being hit by a pitch and promptly swiped second. Travis Bazzana drove him in with a double, and from that moment, the floodgates, so to speak, were open. Bailey followed with an RBI single to put the visitors ahead. A pair of walks then loaded the bases, setting up an RBI single from Ramírez that extended Cleveland’s lead to 6-4. Chase DeLauter added another single to stretch the margin to 7-4, keeping the bases packed.
Summer addition Jo Adell, who has emerged as a major run producer for Cleveland—highlighted by a crucial three-run triple in Game 3—delivered once again with a two-run single.
In the blink of an eye, Cleveland found themselves up 9-4. The visitors maintained a comfortable lead from that point until Chicago initiated a late push in the bottom of the ninth. Miguel Vargas started the inning with a solo shot, which sparked further base traffic and forced a pitching decision that could influence Game 5 (an issue discussed below), though the Guardians ultimately secured the final outs to seal the win.
Cleveland’s lineup ranked near the bottom of the major leagues during the regular season and was largely silenced during the opening two games of this series, producing only three runs. However, they have turned things around dramatically by scoring nine runs in consecutive games, including their first pair of home runs of the playoffs in Game 4.
Anticipating the Game 5 showdown
This series has showcased a variety of unorthodox pitching strategies involving starters and bullpen arms. Ideally, Game 5 might have offered a more conventional starter-vs-starter matchup.
However, several wrinkles have emerged.
Gavin Williams was the logical choice and the anticipated starter for Cleveland. He finished the regular season with a 14-8 record, a 3.76 ERA, and led the American League with 248 strikeouts over 184 ⅓ frames. During his Game 2 start, which Chicago ultimately won, Williams surrendered just two runs across five innings while striking out 11. Notably, the final run attributed to him was inherited by the bullpen after he exited following a single, and the relief staff allowed that runner to cross the plate.
The main issue is that Williams was called upon to seal the victory in Game 4. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt had exhausted six relievers before turning to closer Cade Smith in the eighth inning, who was already coming off a two-inning workload in Game 3. After Smith surrendered a home run to start the ninth, Vogt chose not to gamble and brought in Williams, who utilized 18 pitches to secure the final outs.
As a result, Cleveland’s pitching strategy for Game 5 remains uncertain. While Williams remains a starting option, his stamina will likely be limited. Parker Messick was utilized as the starter in Game 4, ruling him out. Tanner Bibee, normally a starter, has yet to start in this postseason and struggled during a 15-pitch relief outing in Game 4. Meanwhile, Foster Griffin is likely unavailable after throwing 53 pitches in Game 3.
Following the victory, Williams expressed his willingness to take on any role the coaching staff maps out.
“I am ready. It makes no difference to me,” Williams stated (per WKYC). “I will do whatever is asked of me. If they want me to start, I will. If they need me to enter from the bullpen, I am ready for that too.”
For Chicago, Sean Burke is expected to handle a significant workload, whether starting or entering early. In Game 2, the White Sox started Anthony Kay but replaced him after just a third of an inning with Sean Newcomb. Burke then entered, providing 5 ⅓ strong innings where he yielded only one hit and one run alongside six strikeouts. Having not thrown since Game 2, he is primed to eat up innings in the decisive game.
During the regular season, he posted an 11-7 record with a 3.34 ERA, striking out 185 batters over 172 ⅓ frames.
In summary, while a matchup of Williams versus Burke was expected, the strategic twists of this series have disrupted those plans, leaving the actual pitching lineups highly unpredictable.
Perhaps the final game will bring pure unpredictability, which always makes for an entertaining spectacle for neutral fans.
Cleveland aims to join a highly select group
Throughout Major League Baseball postseason history, only 10 squads have successfully overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series to advance. The latest occurrence took place in 2017, when the Cleveland franchise held a 2-0 advantage over the Yankees, only to watch New York mount a successful comeback.
To find an example of a team dropping their opening two games at home, rallying to win two straight on the road, and finishing the job back on home turf in Game 5, one must look back to 2015. That year, the Blue Jays dropped their initial home games to the Rangers, took two in Texas, and clinched the series in a wild Game 5 highlighted by Jose Bautista’s legendary bat flip during a massive seventh inning.
Indeed, that represents the sole instance in this series format where a team dropped the opening pair at home and still rallied to win. Cleveland now has the opportunity to match the feat of that 2015 Toronto squad.
