The Cleveland Guardians, fueled by a two-run home run from Jose Ramirez and a stellar outing from starting pitcher Gavin Williams, beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Saturday to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
The Guardians won their third straight game to take the best-of-five American League division series three games to two and book an American League championship series showdown with the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays.
Cleveland became just the fourth team to win a best-of-five series after dropping the first two games at home, winning games three and four in Chicago before returning home on Saturday to polish off the triumph.
“We’re not going to back down from anything,” Williams said of the comeback against a White Sox team trying to extend a fairytale year that saw them bounce back from three straight 100-loss seasons to improbably reach the playoffs.
Ramirez, Williams and the Guardians bullpen made sure that didn’t happen.
It was a pitching duel through the first three innings as Williams — starting two days after recording the final three outs as a reliever in game four — and White Sox starter Sean Burke dominated.
Burke blinked first and once again it was Cleveland’s star slugger Ramirez putting the Guardians on top.
Ramirez, finally rounding into form after surgery to repair the hamate bone in his left wrist in June, homered for the second straight game to make it 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
– One swing away –
A knuckle curveball from Burke was dipping toward the dirt when Ramirez swung low and scooped it over the right field wall.
“Jose’s the GOAT,” Williams said. “He’s always one swing away. We know that. We believe in him. We love him.”
White Sox manager Will Venable couldn’t fault Burke.
“That’s a good pitch,” Venable said. “(Ramirez) just went down and got it.”
The shot also scored outfielder Steven Kwan, who had recorded the first hit of the game with his single to right field to open the inning.
The White Sox finally threatened against Williams in the top of the sixth inning.
Williams walked Colson Montgomery to open the frame.
He retired Brenton Doyle and Sam Antonacci before surrendering his first hit of the game to Kyle Teel, who slapped a single to right.
Williams walked Miguel Vargas to load the bases and that was the end of his night. He departed to an ovation having struck out 12.
“Just trying to give our team the best shot to win,” Williams said. “I’ve got one job to do and that’s throw strikes and give our team the best chance to win.”
Left-hander Erik Sabrowski took over on the mound and struck out Munetaka Murakami to get out of the bases-loaded jam.
In all Cleveland’s pitchers struck out 21 — a record for a nine-inning playoff game.
That included four strikeouts for closer Cade Smith, who took over with one out in the eighth and earned the five-out save.
The Guardians will try to take another step toward their first World Series title since 1948 when they play the Rays on Monday in game one of the best-of-seven ALCS.
The Rays swept the New York Yankees in their division series.
“I’m so happy for our guys tonight,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, whose team had surged over the last six weeks of the regular season to claim the AL Central division title.
“This was a difficult year, and for us to be one step away from the World Series, our ultimate goal, this is really exciting.”
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