Guardians strike out 21 batters to complete ALDS comeback

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on 10 October 2026, striking out a nine-inning postseason record 21 Chicago batters. The win completed a comeback from an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five series, with Cleveland taking three consecutive elimination games after losing the first two at home.japantimes.co.jp+1

Cleveland became just the fourth team to win a best-of-five series after losing the first two games at home, and the 11th of 96 teams to win a best-of-five series after falling behind 0-2, according to the New York Post. The Guardians will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series, their second trip to that round in the last three seasons.

What the record-setting game changed

Starting pitcher Gavin Williams dominated from the outset, striking out 12 of the 21 batters he faced over 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks and a hit batsman. His 12 strikeouts tied Cleveland's record for a postseason game, and he recorded 22 swings and misses. Williams had saved Game 4 two days earlier.

José Ramírez supplied all the scoring with a two-run home run in the fourth inning off Sean Burke, after Steven Kwan singled leading off the frame. The pitch was 8.88 inches off the ground — 0.74 feet, per MLB Statcast — the lowest pitch hit for a postseason home run since tracking began in 2008 and the lowest of Ramírez's 14-year career.

The bullpen closed out the record. Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith combined for the final 10 outs, striking out nine of them. Sabrowski struck out the lone batter he faced after Williams loaded the bases, Gaddis recorded four outs, and Smith finished for his first career five-out save, striking out the side in the ninth.

How the strikeouts were built

The White Sox struck out on 63.6% of their plate appearances in the game, compared with a 24.1% strikeout rate in the regular season, when Chicago had the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the league. Chicago managed just three hits and put only nine balls in play, finishing the series with 75 strikeouts and a .185 batting average.nypost.com

White Sox manager Will Venable said the problem was not chasing pitches out of the zone: "It was less about chase and more about being attacked in the zone and swing and miss in the zone." Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Williams' willingness to pitch on short rest, saying he told the staff he would pitch whenever needed.

Ramírez delivered after a slow start to the series. He began 0-for-6 but went 5-for-12 over the final three games with two homers, a triple and a double, after a regular season in which his .235 average, .320 on-base percentage and .368 slugging percentage were his lowest marks since 2015. Murakami and Andrew Benintendi each struck out four times.

What comes next in the ALCS

The Rays swept the New York Yankees in their previous series and went 5-1 against Cleveland in the regular season, including three shutouts. This will be the third postseason meeting between the clubs, after Tampa Bay won the 2013 wild card game and Cleveland swept the 2022 wild card series. The American League Championship Series begins on Monday in St. Petersburg, Florida. The winner will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers, seeking a third consecutive title, or the Milwaukee Brewers. Cleveland is seeking its first World Series appearance since 2016; the franchise has not won the championship since 1948.