A record night on the mound
Gavin Williams tied a franchise postseason record with 12 strikeouts and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning as Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Oct 10. Jose Ramirez drove in the game's first run, and the Guardians bullpen closed out the shutout.
The win completed a turnaround. Cleveland lost the first two games of the series at home, then won three straight, including a 9-5 victory in Game 4 powered by a six-run sixth inning at Rate Field.
White Sox left with flaws to fix
The loss ended a surprising season for Chicago, which reached the postseason as the sixth seed after a half-decade absence. The offense that carried the club into October could not solve Cleveland's pitching, and the club's young hitters struggled at the plate. Local writers have pointed to the lowest contact rate in the majors among qualified hitters as the main issue to address over the winter.
What comes next
The ALCS opens on Monday, Oct 12, at Tropicana Field, where the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays hold home-field advantage. First pitch is at 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with Brian Anderson and Ron Darling calling the series. The Rays host Games 1 and 2 and would also host a potential Game 6 and Game 7.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday at 5 p.m. ET on Fox and FS1, a day after the Brewers took Game 1 at home. Cleveland hosts Game 3 of the ALCS on Oct 15, and Milwaukee hosts Game 3 of the NLCS on Oct 14.
The World Series is scheduled to begin on Oct 23. Both championship series are best-of-seven, with the higher seed hosting the first two games and any decider.