Guardians complete comeback to reach American League Championship Series

Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in Game 5 on October 10 to win their division series 3-2. The Guardians recovered from losing the first two games.

José Ramírez supplied both runs with a fourth-inning homer off Sean Burke. It was his second consecutive game with a home run. Chicago managed only three hits throughout the deciding contest.

Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out 12, matching the club's postseason single-game record. He did not concede a hit until the sixth inning, when Kyle Teel sent the ball into right field.

After a walk loaded the bases, Erik Sabrowski replaced Williams and struck out Munetaka Murakami. Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith then took over. Smith secured the final five outs to complete the shutout.

The Guardians' pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts, a record for a nine-inning postseason game. Cleveland will begin the American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay on Monday, seeking its first World Series appearance since 2016.