CHICAGO — The Cleveland Guardians fought off elimination for the second consecutive night, beating the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday to send their American League Division Series to a decisive Game 5.
Third baseman José Ramírez drove in three runs, highlighted by a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning, while pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey also homered as Cleveland staged back-to-back scoring rallies to blow open the contest before a crowd of 39,920, NBC Sports reported. The victory leveled the best-of-five series at 2-2 after the Guardians dropped the first two games at home.
Ramírez sparks comeback before six-run explosion
Chicago took an early 2-0 lead, chasing Guardians starter Parker Messick after 2 1/3 innings, according to Yahoo Sports. Rookie Sam Antonacci expanded the White Sox lead with a third-inning sacrifice fly. Cleveland answered in the top of the fifth when Bailey opened the frame with a pinch-hit home run off starter Erick Fedde. Steven Kwan followed with a single, setting the stage for Ramírez to crush a 99.9 mph fastball from reliever Jordan Hicks into the right-center field seats.
The homer was Ramírez’s second since Sept. 1, following hand surgery in June to repair a fractured hamate bone, NBC Sports and ClutchPoints reported. After crossing the plate, the seven-time All-Star showed uncharacteristic emotion, shouting toward the dugout.
“I told him, ‘I’m going to get this turned around for you,’ and I was able to execute it. It was really special,” Ramírez said of an earlier dugout chat with Messick, Yahoo Sports reported.
Chicago punched back in the bottom of the fifth. Antonacci was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded from Tim Herrin to tie the score, and Brenton Doyle drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to give the White Sox a 4-3 advantage. Antonacci became the first player in major league history to be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded multiple times in a postseason career, according to NBC Sports.
Relief troubles doom Chicago in sixth
Cleveland took control for good in the sixth inning. Travis Bazzana lined an RBI double off Anthony Kay to tie the game at 4. Reliever Grant Taylor then entered and struggled, yielding four runs and four hits without retiring a batter, NBC Sports reported. Bailey stroked an RBI single, and consecutive walks loaded the bases for Ramírez, who drove in another run with an infield single.
Chase DeLauter followed with an RBI single, and Jo Adell capped the six-run frame with a two-run single to right field, putting the Guardians ahead 9-4. Adell finished Thursday with six RBIs across the series after driving in three runs in Game 3.
White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas hit a solo home run to start the ninth inning off Gavin Williams, but Williams retired the next three batters to finish off the contest. The outing was Williams’ first career major league appearance out of the bullpen, NBC Sports reported.
Winner-take-all Game 5 looms
The White Sox fell short in their bid to reach the American League Championship Series for the first time since their 2005 World Series championship season, Fox News reported. The loss also denied Chicago a chance to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series.
History still favors Chicago, as major league teams holding a 2-0 advantage in a best-of-five series have advanced 83 of 93 times, according to NBC Sports. The Guardians are attempting to become the first club to overturn an 0-2 deficit in the division round since the New York Yankees defeated Cleveland in 2017.
Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. Eastern time, Fox News reported. Cleveland has not yet named a starting pitcher, though Williams remains a candidate to take the mound.
