Gavin Williams strikes out 12 and José Ramírez homers as Guardians beat White Sox 2-0 to reach the ALCS

The Cleveland Guardians are in the American League Championship Series after beating the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in a rain-soaked Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday, 10 October (US time). Gavin Williams struck out 12 and José Ramírez hit the only home run of the night. Cleveland lost the first two games of the series and then won three in a row.

Williams dominates two days after a relief outing

Two nights earlier, Williams had made the first relief appearance of his career. He threw 18 pitches in Game 4 after closer Cade Smith ran into trouble in the ninth. In Game 5 he started and allowed just one hit, a sixth-inning single by Kyle Teel, in 5⅔ scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out 12, which tied Charles Nagy's franchise record for strikeouts in a single postseason game. At one point he retired 10 batters in a row.

Williams left with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth. Erik Sabrowski came in and struck out Munetaka Murakami to end the inning. Hunter Gaddis and Smith then finished the shutout.

The White Sox struck out 21 times in total, which reports describe as a postseason record for a nine-inning game. Across the five games Chicago struck out 75 times, well past the previous Division Series record of 64.

Ramírez decides it in the fourth

White Sox starter Sean Burke was perfect for three innings and needed only 34 pitches to get there. Neither side had a hit through three innings. Steven Kwan led off the fourth with a single, and Ramírez followed with a two-run homer off Burke.

The Cleveland star did his best work late in the series. Over Games 3 to 5 he went 5 for 12 with four extra-base hits, including a homer in the 9-5 Game 4 win that forced the decider.

A rare comeback

Cleveland are the first team to come back from 2-0 down in a best-of-five series since the 2017 New York Yankees, who did it against Cleveland. They are the seventh team to do it in the wild-card era, which began in 1995. For the White Sox it was a painful end to the season: they are now 0-2 all-time in winner-take-all postseason games.

ALCS schedule in Malaysia time

The Guardians play the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays. Drew Rasmussen is the Rays' listed starter for Game 1. Cleveland had not named a starter at the time of writing.

All times below are Malaysia time (UTC+8):

• Game 1: Tuesday 13 October, 8am, at Tropicana Field
• Game 2: Wednesday 14 October, 8am, in Tampa Bay
• Game 3: Friday 16 October, 6am, in Cleveland
• Game 4: Saturday 17 October, 6am, in Cleveland
• Game 5 (if needed): Sunday 18 October, 8am, in Cleveland

In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers opened their NLCS in Milwaukee on Sunday night US time.

Key takeaways

• Cleveland beat Chicago 2-0 in ALDS Game 5 and won the series 3-2 after losing the first two games.
• Gavin Williams allowed one hit in 5⅔ innings with 12 strikeouts, equalling Charles Nagy's club postseason record.
• José Ramírez's two-run homer in the fourth inning was the only scoring.
• The White Sox struck out 21 times in the game and 75 times in the series.
• The ALCS against Tampa Bay begins at 8am Malaysia time on Tuesday 13 October.

FAQ

Who won Game 5 of the Guardians v White Sox ALDS? The Guardians won 2-0 at Progressive Field on 10 October (US time), taking the series 3-2.

Who do the Guardians play in the ALCS? They play the Tampa Bay Rays, starting with Game 1 at Tropicana Field.

What time is ALCS Game 1 in Malaysia? Game 1 is at 8pm Eastern Time on Monday 12 October, which is 8am on Tuesday 13 October in Malaysia.

Sources: CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, MLB.com, ESPN