Guardians rally past White Sox, force decider
JOSE Ramirez belts a two-run home run in the fifth inning to lead the Cleveland Guardians to a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox in the MLB playoffs.
Photograph courtesy of GEOFF STELLFOX/agence france-presse
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Cleveland Guardians exploded for six runs in the sixth inning to beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-5, on Thursday and force a deciding Game 5 in their Major League Baseball playoff series.
Jose Ramirez belted a two-run home run in the fifth inning and delivered a run-scoring single in the Guardians’ big sixth to help Cleveland win a second straight game in Chicago after dropping the first two games of the best-of-five American League division series at home.
Having denied the White Sox’s bid to clinch a playoff series at home for the first time since 1906, the Guardians will host game five on Saturday.
Ten teams have come back from a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five playoff series, the most recent the New York Yankees in 2017 — against Cleveland.
“It’s going to be a crazy energy,” said Ramirez, who followed pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey’s solo homer in the fifth by belting a 99.9 mph fastball from White Sox relief pitcher Jordan Hicks into the bullpen for a two-run home run that put the Guardians up, 3-2.
The White Sox edged back in front with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.
But Cleveland poured it on in the sixth, sending 10 batters to the plate.
Angel Martinez was hit by a pitch to take first and stole second. He scored on Travis Bazzana’s double.
Bailey, Ramirez, Chase De Lauter and Jo Adell added run-scoring hits.
The White Sox, trying to extend a fairytale year that has seen them bounce back from three straight 100-loss seasons to improbably reach the playoffs, scored their first four runs on a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a pair of sacrifice flys.
Miguel Vargas led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run off Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith to briefly energize the Chicago crowd.
But after Munetaka Murakami walked, Cleveland sent their ace starting pitcher Gavin Williams to the mound. He gave up a single to Sam Antonacci before retiring the next three batters to seal the win.
Williams was the eighth pitcher to take the mound for the Guardians. The White Sox used seven, with starter Hagen Smith exiting in the first inning after recording two outs but walking the bases loaded to get the hook after 27 pitches.
Chicago reliever Grant Taylor, who pitched 5 1/2 scoreless innings in the first two games of the series, gave up four runs on four hits without recording an out in the sixth inning.