Williams fans 12 as Guardians win 2-0 at Progressive Field to complete ALDS comeback

Gavin Williams struck out 12 as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 at Progressive Field in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night, completing a comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series.

Guardians pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts, the most in a nine-inning postseason game, while the White Sox managed just three hits and put only nine balls in play over the contest. Chicago batters struck out 75 times across the series. The White Sox were the first team to reach the playoffs after three straight 100-loss seasons and have not won the World Series since 2004.

Two days after getting the save in Game 4, Williams became just the third pitcher in postseason history to record the final out of a game and then start the next game when his team faced elimination in both. He did not allow a hit until Kyle Teel looped a knuckle-curve into right field with two outs in the sixth. Williams’s 12 strikeouts tied Cleveland’s record for a postseason game and produced 22 swings and misses; his 24 strikeouts over three games tied for the second most in a best-of-five postseason series.

José Ramírez homered on a pitch just above home plate for a two-run drive off Sean Burke, his second straight game with a homer, and that two-run shot supplied the only scoring in the game. The Ramirez two-run homer accounted for Cleveland’s entire offense in the decisive contest.

After a walk loaded the bases in the late innings, Erik Sabrowski relieved Williams and struck out Munetaka Murakami. Hunter Gaddis followed Sabrowski and recorded four outs. Cade Smith closed and earned his first career five-out save, striking out the side in the ninth; he blew a fastball by Tristan Peters for the final out, setting off a celebration at Progressive Field.

Cleveland will open the American League Championship Series at Tampa Bay on Monday night, seeking its first World Series appearance since 2016; the franchise has not won the title since 1948, the longest drought among Major League Baseball teams.