ALDS Game 5: Epic White Sox vs Guardians Winner-Take-All Showdown

One game decides it all. Saturday night at Progressive Field, the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians meet in ALDS Game 5, a winner-take-all battle with a trip to the American League Championship Series on the line. The Tampa Bay Rays, already through, are waiting on the other side. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET on TBS.

This series has been strange. The White Sox won the first two games in Cleveland, then the Guardians roared back with two straight wins in Chicago. All four games went to the road team. Nobody has held serve yet. Something has to give on Saturday night, and the only guarantee is that one of these AL Central rivals goes home.

The pitching matchup is a rematch. Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams faces White Sox right-hander Sean Burke — the same pair that dueled in Game 2. Williams threw 98 pitches over five innings that night, struck out 11, and then came back Thursday to record the final three outs of Game 4 in the first relief appearance of his career. Two days later, he’s back on the mound to start the biggest game of his life. Burke was sharp in Game 2 as well, throwing 5 1/3 innings and giving up just one run in Chicago’s 4-3 win.

Saturday’s ALDS Game 5 Puts a Season on the Line

Cleveland is trying to become the first team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series since the 2017 New York Yankees did it — against Cleveland. That’s a stat the Guardians know well, and one they’re not eager to relive from the other side. Historically, teams that grab a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five have gone on to win 83 of 93 times. The Guardians have already defied those odds just to get here.

The Guardians are also the sixth team in playoff history to force a Game 5 after losing the first two games at home. Of the previous five, three went on to win the series: the 2015 Blue Jays over the Rangers, the 2012 Giants over the Reds, and the 2001 Yankees over the A’s. History says a Game 5 at home after two road wins is no place to be a pessimist.

Chicago’s perspective is different. The White Sox had two chances to close out this series at Rate Field and blew both. They’ve never clinched a postseason series at home — not since the 1906 World Series against the Cubs. That drought continued Thursday in the ugliest way possible, and it left their bullpen in rough shape heading into Saturday.

Burke vs. Williams: The Pitching Rematch

The starters in ALDS Game 5 have both earned this moment. Williams, the 2026 American League strikeout leader, punched out 248 batters over 184.1 innings in the regular season and went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA. Burke countered with an 11-7 record, a 3.34 ERA and 185 strikeouts across 172.1 innings, and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers called him “pound-for-pound, the team’s best starter all season.”

The question is how long each can go. Williams skipped his standard Wednesday bullpen session so he could close out Game 4 on Thursday, and he threw extra pitches in that ninth inning. He told ESPN he’s ready: “Seven, eight, nine innings. Whatever they need, I’m ready.” Desire is one thing. Arm freshness, 48 hours after a relief outing, is another. Manager Stephen Vogt has to be ready with a quick hook, even if Williams’ stuff looks sharp early.

Burke’s task is clearer: give the White Sox innings. Chicago’s bullpen, one of its biggest strengths all year, fell apart in Game 4. Grant Taylor — flawless through the first two games, with 5 1/3 scoreless innings — came in Thursday and didn’t retire a single batter, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. Seven White Sox pitchers took the mound that night, and four of them gave up runs. Chicago used its bullpen like an all-hands-on-deck unit. If Burke can repeat his 5 1/3 innings from Game 2, the White Sox like their chances.

On the other side, Cleveland’s closer Cade Smith has pitched in all four games of the series, throwing 50 pitches across Games 3 and 4, and he couldn’t record an out in the ninth inning Thursday. His availability for a big multi-inning stint is genuinely in doubt.

How the Series Got to Five Games

The White Sox struck first in Cleveland. Game 2 was a 4-3 Chicago win built on a three-run sixth: Braden Montgomery ripped a go-ahead two-run double down the right-field line, and Burke allowed one hit over 5 1/3 innings of strong relief. Montgomery drove in the go-ahead runs and Chase Meidroth added an RBI single. It put Chicago up 2-0 and had them one win from their first ALCS trip since their 2005 World Series title.

Then everything flipped in Chicago. The Guardians won Games 3 and 4 on the road, and Thursday’s 9-5 Game 4 was a rout in disguise. Cleveland trailed 2-0 before rallying in the fifth: pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey led off with a solo homer, and José Ramírez followed with a two-run shot that put the Guardians up 3-2. Chicago answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead, 4-3.

Then came the sixth — the inning that may have decided the series. Cleveland sent 10 batters to the plate, and eight straight reached base on five hits, two walks and a hit batter. Bailey singled home the go-ahead run, and Jo Adell lined an opposite-field two-run single to right off Taylor to make it 9-4. Ramírez finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, and Cleveland’s pitching staff piled up 12 strikeouts while White Sox pitchers issued seven walks.

Miguel Vargas homered in the ninth to make it 9-5, but Williams slammed the door — and now he starts the decider on two days’ rest.

The Pope Is a White Sox Fan

No ALDS Game 5 preview would be complete without the strangest storyline of October. Pope Leo XIV is a lifelong White Sox fan, dating back to his days growing up on Chicago’s South Side. When he was still Robert Prevost — “Father Bob” — he attended the 2005 World Series opener, a 5-3 White Sox win over the Astros.

Before the playoffs started, a letter from the pontiff arrived at Rate Field, addressed to owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Dated September 9, the letter responded to a day of Pope-themed promotions at the ballpark in August and invoked the Almighty’s “abundant blessings” on the club. The team posted it on social media before Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Houston, and the White Sox won the opener 6-3.

Reinsdorf’s reaction became instant folklore. “Imagine a Jewish kid from Brooklyn getting a letter from the pope,” the chairman said. “I’m going to convert.” Asked recently whether he had a hand in the team’s shocking turnaround, the smiling pontiff answered: “No comment.”

Manager Will Venable put it simply: “The Pope having our back and supporting us means a lot.”

The papal buzz has been worth real money. Sports-marketing firm Apex Marketing tallied more than $22 million in media value for the White Sox from the Vatican connection alone. After three straight seasons of at least 101 losses — including a post-1900 record 121 defeats in 2024 — the White Sox are suddenly the most talked-about story in baseball, and the man in the Vatican might be their most famous fan.

What’s Next: The Rays Wait

The winner of ALDS Game 5 advances to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series, which begins Monday. The Rays won 101 games this season and present a brutal matchup for either club — a complete, rested team with its pitching lined up, while Saturday’s survivor will have spent everything just to get through a five-game street fight.

Cleveland finished 85-77 to win the AL Central. Chicago went 84-78, good for a wild card — the first team in history to reach the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons. Both teams have already survived more than anyone expected. Only one gets Monday.

The road team has won every game in this series. Cleveland is home. Chicago is loose. Burke versus Williams, nine innings, season on the line. That’s ALDS Game 5.

Sources and Resources

How can I watch ALDS Game 5?

TBS carries the game nationally, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday from Progressive Field in Cleveland. truTV also simulcasts select postseason coverage.

Who are the starting pitchers for ALDS Game 5?

Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams and White Sox right-hander Sean Burke — the same matchup as Game 2. Williams threw 98 pitches over five innings in that one and struck out 11, while Burke allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings.

Why did the Guardians win Games 3 and 4?

Offense, mostly. Cleveland scored 15 runs across the two games in Chicago, with José Ramírez driving in runs in both. In Game 4, a six-run sixth inning against a tired White Sox bullpen broke a 4-3 game open. The White Sox also walked too many batters and stranded 12 runners.

Is Pope Leo XIV really a White Sox fan?

Yes. He grew up on Chicago’s South Side and attended the 2005 World Series opener. Before the 2026 playoffs, a letter from him to owner Jerry Reinsdorf arrived at Rate Field, and the team shared it before their Wild Card opener against Houston.

Who does the ALDS Game 5 winner play next?

The Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series, starting Monday. The Rays won 101 games this season and are rested while the White Sox and Guardians battle through a full five games.

Conclusion

ALDS Game 5 is what October is supposed to be: two evenly matched rivals, one game, no safety net. The Guardians have the momentum and the home crowd, plus a history of these comebacks. The White Sox have the better-rested ace storyline in Sean Burke, 211 regular-season homers, and a fan in the Vatican. The road team has won every game in this series, which means absolutely nothing — or everything. Tune in at 8 p.m. ET. The winner goes to the ALCS on Monday. The loser goes home.

ALDS Game 5: White Sox, Guardians Collide in Winner-Take-All Showdown in Cleveland