Guardians beat White Sox 9-3 to force ALDS Game 4
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Wednesday to stay alive in their American League Division Series. Jo Adell and José Ramírez hit two-out triples, and Cleveland pitchers struck out 19 batters. Chicago still leads the best-of-five series 2-1, with Game 4 on Thursday in Chicago.
The Cleveland Guardians were one loss from going home. Instead, their bats finally woke up.
Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Rate Field to avoid a sweep in their American League Division Series. Chicago still leads the best-of-five series two games to one, and Game 4 is Thursday in Chicago, the Associated Press reported.
The White Sox scored first on Kyle Teel's RBI double in the first inning. The Guardians answered with four runs in the third. Steven Kwan tied the game with a single, and with the bases loaded and two outs, Jo Adell hit a three-run triple down the right-field line for a 4-1 lead.
José Ramírez added a run in the fifth. He doubled, stole third and slid home headfirst on a grounder. In the eighth, his two-out triple drove in two more for a 7-3 lead. It was the first time the Guardians hit two triples in a playoff game, AP said. Ramírez also made a big stop at third base in the sixth, with the bases loaded, to protect a two-run lead, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Cleveland's pitchers struck out 19 White Sox batters. Reliever Foster Griffin struck out seven in 2 2/3 innings, a team record for a reliever, according to AP. Closer Cade Smith got the last six outs.
The White Sox went 60-102 last year and won their first four games of this postseason. Wednesday was Chicago's first home playoff game since 2021, in front of 40,590 fans. Cleveland, the AL Central champion, had scored just three runs in the first two games of the series.
In the other series, the Tampa Bay Rays led the New York Yankees two games to none and played Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night with a chance to clinch.
How to watch: Game 4 will start at either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. ET Thursday, based on how the Rays-Yankees series goes, the Beacon Journal said. It airs on TBS and truTV and streams on HBO Max. The Beacon Journal expects Cleveland to start Parker Messick on normal rest.
What we know: Cleveland forced a Game 4 on Thursday in Chicago.
What we don't: Who will start Game 4 for the White Sox, and what time it begins.
Where outlets agree The AP and the Akron Beacon Journal both report that triples by Adell and Ramírez powered the 9-3 win, and that Guardians pitchers struck out 19 batters.
Where they differ The Beacon Journal says Cleveland now has the pitching edge with Parker Messick on normal rest, but Chicago still needs just one more win to advance.