After last week’s Thursday Night Football game, sports podcaster Ariel Epstein had plenty to say about the ALDS matchup between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians. She called the series an “MLB masterpiece” and even rated it higher than last week’s TNF game. At the time, the Guardians were trying to mount a comeback and secure a spot in the ALCS. Their efforts paid off, as the teams’ postseason fates were decided yesterday in Game 5.
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Yesterday, the Guardians defeated the White Sox 2–0 to advance to the ALCS. Available data show that Cleveland’s pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts in Game 5, the most in a nine-inning postseason game in MLB history. The victory also made Cleveland the 11th team in MLB history to win a best-of-five Division Series after falling behind 2–0. But beyond those achievements, a few other moments from the game deserve attention.
The Chicago White Sox’s embarrassing record extends
While reaching October marked a historic turnaround for a franchise coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including 121 losses in 2024, the Chicago White Sox’s Game 5 defeat highlighted a frustrating pattern in the team’s recent playoff history.
After sweeping the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Series and winning the first two games of the ALDS against Cleveland, the White Sox needed just one win in their next three attempts to reach their first ALCS since 2005. Instead, they lost three straight games, becoming one of only 11 teams in Major League Baseball history to lose a best-of-five series after taking a 2–0 lead.
On top of that, as mentioned earlier, the White Sox offense struck out 21 times in Game 5, setting a record for a nine-inning postseason game. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out 12 White Sox batters over 5.2 innings, matching Cleveland’s single-game postseason record. Chicago managed just three hits and was shut out in the series-deciding game.
Now, let’s look at their postseason struggles dating back to 2005.
Although the White Sox’s 2005 World Series championship remains an iconic achievement, their broader postseason history has been marked by long stretches of frustration. Before 2026, the White Sox had won only one postseason series since 1917, during their 2005 championship run. Across 127 seasons in Chicago, the franchise had won a postseason series in only one season before this year.
Those numbers help explain the frustration surrounding the White Sox’s postseason history. And now, let’s turn to a few standout performances from yesterday’s game.
The Guardians trolled the White Sox after the game
The Cleveland Guardians brought out their social media and clubhouse humor after completing their historic comeback from a 2–0 series deficit against the White Sox.
Ahead of Game 3, with Cleveland trailing 2–0, Chicago’s stadium staff at Rate Field played “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men over the speakers while the Guardians were taking pregame reps.
Following their Game 5 victory, the Guardians’ official account dug up the old workout clip and fired back, suggesting it was now time to play “Closing Time” by Semisonic to mark Chicago’s elimination.
The Guardians also posted a graphic featuring dirty socks in a laundry basket, accompanied by the caption, “Already got rid of some Sox, might need to toss the rest too.” The post took a double jab at Chicago and a potential matchup with Boston down the line.
Additionally, the team shared a famous internet meme featuring a Spirit Halloween banner photoshopped over Guaranteed Rate Field, poking fun at Chicago’s season coming to an end.
Cleveland also shared an edited video of an iconic Chicago “L” train wrapped in the Guardians’ official postseason slogan, “Stand Guard.” The teasing continued in the locker room, where Guardians players were filmed imitating the White Sox’s signature pregame ritual while spraying champagne.
Guardians’ José Ramírez made the record books
José Ramírez’s performance in Game 5 was a defining moment in Cleveland’s historic comeback, changing the narrative around both his postseason production and the series itself.
After the Guardians fell behind 2–0, questions emerged about Ramírez’s postseason performance. However, he turned things around starting in Game 3. He recorded multiple hits in both Games 3 and 4, building momentum before delivering the decisive blow in the series finale.
In the fourth inning of Game 5, Ramírez hit a clutch two-run home run to right field. The homer also made history as the lowest pitch hit for a home run in the MLB pitch-tracking era.
His two-run shot accounted for all the scoring in the game, giving the Guardians’ pitching staff all the support it needed to complete the 2–0 shutout and cap off the comeback from a 2–0 series deficit.
Ramírez’s performance impressed Laurence Holmes so much that the podcaster said, “No one should be able to hit a pitch that low out for a home run, yet there he was doing it.”
Guardians’ Gavin Williams wasn’t far behind
Dallas Braden’s post on X yesterday may best capture Gavin Williams’s performance.
The podcaster wrote, “The Guardians are headed to the ALCS on the backs of a combo of 11 & 12 strikeout starting performances from Gavin Williams & a nice series from Jose Ramirez. The Bullpen for Cleveland allowed just 2 hits after Sabrowski entered to close out the 6th tonight. Gavin Williams had 24 strikeouts in 11.2 innings this series. Just utterly DOMINANT!”
Before yesterday’s game, Williams had come out of the bullpen to record the final out in Game 4, earning a high-pressure save and forcing a decisive Game 5.
Returning to the mound to start the winner-take-all game, he became one of only three pitchers in MLB postseason history to close out one game and start the very next elimination game.
Yesterday, he pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks. His swing-and-miss stuff baffled Chicago’s batters, generating 22 swinging strikes and leaving the White Sox offense struggling to find an answer. Later, he left the field to a standing ovation.
That wraps up the action from yesterday’s game. The Guardians will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.