10/10/2026 10:23:00
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10/10 22:22 CDT Williams, Ramrez lead Guardians over White Sox 2-0 to cap
comeback in five-game AL Division Series
Williams, Ramrez lead Guardians over White Sox 2-0 to cap comeback in
five-game AL Division Series
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) --- Gavin Williams had 12 of 21 strikeouts by Cleveland
pitchers, Jos Ramrez homered on a pitch just above home plate and the
Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 Saturday night to complete a comeback
from an 0-2 deficit in their best-of-five AL Division Series.
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 Ramrez 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 Munetaka
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.
Chicago, the first team to reach the playoffs after three straight 100-loss
seasons, has not won the World Series since 2005.
Ramrez 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 Ramrez's sixth
postseason homer, which went just over the wall near the right-field line.
Murakami and Andrew Benintendi struck out four times each, and Teel and Chase
Meidroth three times apiece.
Up next
Tampa Bay went 5-1 against the Guardians, including three shutouts. It will be
the third postseason meeting of the teams following the Rays' win in the 2013
wild card game and the Guardians' sweep in the 2022 Wild Card Series.
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