The Chicago White Sox had two shots this week at taking the Cleveland Guardians out of the American League Division Series and moving onto the next round of the postseason with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the brink of playoff elimination at Chicago’s Rate Field on Wednesday and Thursday, the difference for Cleveland between playing another game and beginning their offseason rituals can be summed up with José Ramírez’s performances.
The 14-year Cleveland veteran, who was part of the 2016 American League pennant club then known as Indians, has turned up his game more than a notch, which has led to a Game 5 on Saturday at Progressive Field in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County. In Game 1 of the ALDS at Progressive Field, in which the Guardians were shut out 3–0 by the White Sox, Ramírez went hitless. In Game 2, a 4–3 Chicago win, again, Ramírez couldn’t scratch out a hit. Chicago returned home from Cleveland just one win away from advancing to the American League Championship Series, and four victories from returning to the World Series for the first time since 2005.
In Game 3, Ramírez found his stride, which proved to be infectious with the rest of the Guardians’ lineup. In a win or go home situation, before a crowd of 40,590 at Rate Field, Cleveland came out on top with a 9–3 victory. The catalyst that brought the ALDS to 2–1 in favor of Chicago was Ramírez going 2–4, scoring twice, and driving in two runs. The double and triple delivered in his five total bases on the night, plus a stolen base, fired up Cleveland’s offense.
Ramírez was the chief instigator to get the Guardians to post a second consecutive postseason win on Thursday, downing the White Sox by 9–5. Making contact off of Chicago pitching for 10 hits in Game 4, Ramírez went 2–5, scored two runs, and collected 3 RBIs. His OPS through four games in the ALDS is a whopping 1.056. He smacked a fifth inning home run off of hard throwing White Sox hurler Jordan Hicks, and was good for five total bases. Not since Game 3 and Game 4 of the 1997 World Series when Cleveland played the Florida Marlins had the Guardians (then Indians) scored nine runs in consecutive postseason games.
With the three other MLB Division Series completed, Cleveland and Chicago would be the only teams playing to advance to the next round on Saturday. Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey, acquired in a trade in May with the San Francisco Giants, said after Thursday’s game that his teammates have remained confident throughout the ALDS.
“I think it starts with the leadership from the top down. Guys show up every day, [they have] the same demeanor. These last two games, I feel we didn’t really feel different than the first two,” he said. “I was able to get in the hitter’s count. Took advantage of a good pitch to hit, and got the boys rolling a bit, and José with that massive homer. It was a lot of fun. It was an awesome game.”
The Guardians received a first-round bye in the MLB postseason. Winning the American League Central Division for a third consecutive year, a last season push took Cleveland past Chicago in the standings. With momentum building in the regular season’s final weeks and into this postseason opposite the White Sox, as well as Game 5 returning to Cleveland, Chicago’s skipper Will Venable understands the pressures and excitement that his club will be facing on Saturday.
“At the end of the day, Game 5, [the] deciding game here of a series, it’s going to be all hands on deck,” he said. “You throw out the window previous usage. You obviously want to be in tune with the guys and how they’re feeling but … we’re going for it here, obviously. That is going to take a different level of preparedness and preparation, and really just guts and heart.”
José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox in game four of the American League Division Series at Rate Field in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 8, 2026. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Given how hot Ramírez is at the plate, will White Sox pitchers give him anything good to hit? Can the plan be to walk, intentional or otherwise, the popular Dominican? Venable has seen enough of what level of damage Ramírez is capable of against his pitching staff to lessen him from being in a position to drive in runs on Saturday.
Ramírez is working hard to earn a mulligan with a return trip to the World Series. With Cleveland being MLB’s last team standing in 1948, and having come up short in 1997 and 2016, Ramírez may not be getting another opportunity to win a ring. For his team, the Guardians’ fans, and himself, Ramírez is without a doubt the game’s hardest playing position player hoping for continued success in October. Any questions, simply ask the White Sox pitchers.
