A legendary rally
The vibes were looking pretty mid for the Cleveland Guardians when they dropped the first two games of the ALDS at home. But talk about a plot twist: they just forced a Game 5 against the Chicago White Sox after a chaotic 9-5 win on the road.
The Guardians were down 2-0 early and 4-3 heading into the sixth inning. That's when the offense decided to absolutely eat. They hung six runs on the board in a single inning to flip the game on its head. José Ramírez was a total main character, crushing a two-run homer in the fifth to get the momentum moving.
The Game 5 dilemma
Now, the series heads back to Cleveland for Saturday night’s decider. The question is: what is the pitching plan? Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had to bring in star pitcher Gavin Williams to close out Game 4, burning some of his availability for the next game.
Williams told reporters, "Whatever they need me to do, I'll do it." The White Sox are likely to lean on Sean Burke for the bulk of the work, since he hasn't been used since Game 2.
Why it matters
History is lowkey on the line. Only 10 teams have ever crawled back from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series to win it all. The last squad to pull off this specific path—losing two at home, winning two on the road, and forcing a Game 5—was the 2015 Blue Jays. The winner of this final dance secures a spot in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
