José Ramírez hit a two-run homer and four Cleveland pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts as the Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2–0 in ALDS Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday.
Cleveland won the best-of-five series 3–2 after losing the first two games. The Guardians advance to face Tampa Bay in the American League Championship Series.
Ramírez provided all the scoring in the fourth inning, hitting a home run to right field off Sean Burke with Steven Kwan aboard. Cleveland finished with six hits, including two doubles by Petey Halpin.
Gavin Williams struck out 12 in 5⅔ scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked two and hit a batter, throwing 94 pitches before leaving with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth.
Erik Sabrowski struck out Munetaka Murakami to end that threat. Hunter Gaddis then struck out four over 1⅓ innings, and Cade Smith recorded the final five outs for the save.
Smith entered with a runner aboard in the eighth and retired both hitters he faced that inning. He struck out Murakami, Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters in the ninth to complete the three-hit shutout.
Burke allowed two runs on four hits over five innings, with four strikeouts and no walks. Sean Newcomb and Grant Taylor kept Cleveland scoreless for the remaining three innings.
Chicago’s only hits came from Kyle Teel, Peters and Sam Antonacci. Murakami and Benintendi each struck out four times as the White Sox finished without an extra-base hit.
The Guardians won three consecutive elimination games to finish the series. Ramírez’s fourth-inning swing and Cleveland’s relief pitching preserved a two-run lead through the final five innings.
