A season kept alive
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. The win tied the best-of-five series at two games each and set up a decider on Saturday at Progressive Field.
Chicago had taken control of the series by winning two of the first three games, and the home crowd at Rate Field arrived expecting a celebration. Cleveland answered with a six-run sixth inning that turned a tight game into a rout. The Guardians have now survived two straight elimination games on the road.
Ramirez and Williams deliver
Jose Ramirez, the club's long-time October mainstay, hit a two-run homer that stretched the lead. The bullpen then handed the ball to Gavin Williams, the American League strikeout leader, who made the first relief appearance of his career to finish the game.
Manager Stephen Vogt said before the series that his players enjoy silencing a hostile crowd as much as they enjoy a home celebration. He will now get a decisive game in front of his own fans. Game 5 starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and airs on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
What comes next
The Tampa Bay Rays are already waiting. They swept the New York Yankees in three games and will host Game 1 of the ALCS on October 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Cleveland or Chicago will travel to St. Petersburg for that opener.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday. Milwaukee won 103 games in the regular season, the most in baseball, and holds home-field advantage. The clubs have met three times before in the postseason, and the Dodgers won all three, including last year's NLCS. Los Angeles is chasing a third straight World Series title.