Guardians Erase Two-Game Deficit, Set MLB Record with 21 Strikeouts in ALDS Clincher

By Jesse Rogers | ESPN

CLEVELAND — The swings and misses kept coming for the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night, one after another in relentless succession.

It marked a historic evening for the Guardians’ pitching staff, led by starter Gavin Williams, who fanned 12 batters over 5⅔ innings in Cleveland’s 2-0 series-clinching victory in the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series.

The bullpen picked up exactly where Williams left off, striking out nine more hitters to push Cleveland’s total to 21. That number stands as a new MLB record for any nine-inning game, spanning both the regular season and the postseason.

“Almost like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” second baseman Travis Bazzana said. “Every pitch in the zone was a whiff. I couldn’t believe it.”

Neither could the White Sox, who struck out three times in four separate innings, including in the ninth frame to seal the record. The dominant pitching performance helped cap a dramatic series comeback for the Guardians, who are just the 11th team in 94 attempts to win a best-of-five series after trailing two games to none.

Cleveland will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday.

“It’s about resilience,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said during the champagne celebration following the win. “This group has demonstrated this time and time again.”

No one displayed more resiliency over the past few days than Williams and third baseman Jose Ramirez. Williams, pitching on just one day of rest, exhibited increased velocity during his Game 5 appearance and surrendered only a single hit.

Ramirez delivered when the Guardians needed him most, accounting for all of Cleveland’s runs in Game 5. He launched White Sox starter Sean Burke deep in the bottom of the fourth after connecting on a curveball that tracked 0.89 feet off the ground. It marked the lowest ball hit for a home run in postseason history since tracking began in 2008, adding another chapter to Ramirez’s growing Hall of Fame legacy in Cleveland.

“We’ve faced him a couple of times,” Ramirez said through the team interpreter. “So we know he has a really good curveball. So in that AB, I was looking for a curveball for strike.”

Except it was far from a strike. It was at Ramirez’s feet, arriving after four consecutive pitches were located at his eyes.

Ramirez provided exactly what Cleveland needed most. After starting the ALDS 0-for-6, Ramirez went 5-for-12 with two home runs over the final three games, carrying his team to victory.

“Build the f—ing statue,” reliever Erik Sabrowski screamed regarding Ramirez’s performance.

Of the Guardians pitchers’ 21 strikeouts, Sabrowski recorded the most consequential one. Called upon to protect a 2-0 lead against White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth, he struck him out on five pitches.

“I think I threw the plan out the window and said f— it,” Sabrowski said. “I’m going to throw you fastballs.”

It was one of four strikeouts Murakami recorded Saturday, bringing his series total to 11 whiffs. Catcher Kyle Teel also struck out twice Saturday, while Andrew Benintendi recorded four strikeouts and Chase Meidroth had three.

Williams set the tone for Cleveland’s pitching staff after declaring he was ready to start Game 5 just two days after recording the final three outs of Game 4.

“I did some stuff in the training room, got some food and just walked by [manager Stephen Vogt] and said, ‘I’m good to go,'” he said.

Williams’ adrenaline appeared to be pumping hard as his fastball averaged 99 mph in Game 5, up a couple of ticks from his regular-season average. He was throwing heat, most of it located in the zone.

“I feel like I always imagined myself doing this,” Williams said. “The other day [Game 4] was a bullpen day, as everybody knew.”

Williams is the third pitcher in MLB history with 12 or more strikeouts and one or fewer hits allowed in a postseason game, and the first to accomplish the feat in a winner-take-all contest. But Cleveland’s pitchers didn’t just set records Saturday; they did so for the entire week, striking out 75 hitters, a record for a five-game series.

“I thought it was less about chase and more about being attacked in the zone and swing-and-miss in the zone,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Just didn’t have what it would have took to move some balls forward.”

The Guardians celebrated exuberantly in their clubhouse after the game, even mimicking the White Sox’s pregame dugout dance routine while enjoying beer and champagne. They will need to recover quickly as Game 1 approaches against the AL’s top seed.

Cleveland’s confidence, however, is sky-high right now.

“I think the key was the mindset,” Ramirez said. “As a group, we had a clear mindset that we knew we could come back.”

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