White Sox Rally Past Guardians, One Win From ALCS
Chicago leads the ALDS 2-0 after coming from two runs down to win 4-3 in Cleveland on Monday, with Game 3 on Wednesday in Chicago.
The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 on Monday, October 5, in ALDS Game 2 at Progressive Field, rallying from a two-run deficit, per ESPN. Chicago leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and needs one win to reach the ALCS.
One Win From the ALCS
The White Sox have taken control of this series. They won Game 1 by 3-0 on Saturday, October 3, per ESPN, and followed with Monday's comeback to put themselves on the cusp of advancing. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago at 3 p.m. Central Time, per MLB.com and ESPN. One more Chicago victory ends the series.
Chicago finished the regular season at 84-78, per ESPN, while Cleveland went 85-77, per ESPN, so the Guardians held a one-game edge in the standings despite now trailing in the playoffs. Before this October, the White Sox's last postseason series victory came in 2005, per ESPN, when they won the World Series. They ended that drought by sweeping Houston in the Wild Card Series, per ESPN, and are now one game from a second series win in the same postseason.
Williams' Dominant Night, Undone
Gavin Williams delivered one of the finest strikeout nights in Cleveland's postseason history, yet the Guardians still lost the game. Williams struck out 11 batters over five innings, per ESPN, tying for the second-most in Cleveland postseason history, per MLB.com. Only Charles Nagy's 12 strikeouts in the 1996 ALDS surpass Williams' total, per MLB.com. His power was evident in his fastball: he threw 18 pitches at 100 miles per hour or faster, with his velocity peaking at a career-high 101.2 mph, per MLB.com.
Yet strikeouts do not guarantee victories. In the first inning, a chopper by Nathaniel Lowe led to an error that allowed two Cleveland runs to score, per ESPN, giving the Guardians an early 2-0 lead. Chicago, however, scored twice off Williams to draw level before he departed.
Montgomery's Go-Ahead Double
The sixth inning brought the turning point. Braden Montgomery hit a two-run double down the right-field line off reliever Erik Sabrowski, per ESPN, giving Chicago a 4-2 lead. Cleveland fought back: Jo Adell hit an RBI triple in the eighth inning, per ESPN, cutting the deficit to one run, but the Guardians could not tie the game.
Bullpen Battles
Chicago's relief corps proved decisive. Sean Burke earned the win, allowing just one hit and one earned run across 5.1 innings while striking out six, per ESPN. Grant Taylor earned the save with 1.1 scoreless innings, per ESPN and MLB.com. Erik Sabrowski took the loss for Cleveland, giving up two runs on one hit in 0.2 innings, per MLB.com. Williams did not factor in the decision despite his strikeout total.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Williams (CLE) | 5.0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
| Sean Burke (CWS) | 5.1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Cleveland on the Brink
The Guardians now travel to Chicago facing elimination in a best-of-five series. Stephen Vogt's side has managed three runs across the two games, none of them in Game 1. Will Venable's White Sox, per MLB.com, will try to finish the series at home on Wednesday. Probable starters for Game 3 have not yet been announced, per MLB.com and ESPN, leaving both teams' pitching plans open until closer to first pitch.