One pitch -- and a good one -- was the difference for Burke, White Sox season

CLEVELAND -- It was just a single pitch, and it went exactly where White Sox right-hander Sean Burke wanted it to go.

But in the critical fourth inning of the deciding Game 5 of the American League Division Series, Burke served up a game-winning two-run homer to Guardians superstar José Ramírez on a knuckle-curveball located roughly nine inches off the ground. It proved to be enough to sink the White Sox and their surprising season in a 2-0 loss on Saturday night at Progressive Field despite winning the first two games of the series.

Burke, though, was proud of his outing and showed why the White Sox were right in shying away from their unconventional pitching plans this series and going with a traditional starter instead for the first time against Cleveland.

“If I walked up there and placed the pitch where I wanted it, I don't think I would have changed where I threw it,” Burke said. “He's a really good player and he's probably going to the Hall of Fame someday. It was a good swing by him and as frustrating as it is, you just have to tip your cap.”

To illustrate just how impossible Ramírez’s homer was, the pitch was located .74 feet off the ground, which was the lowest homer of Ramírez’s career 303 blasts (including postseason) and the lowest in the playoffs since pitch tracking debuted in 2008. It’s why manager Will Venable couldn’t fault Burke, as it was simply a generational talent displaying his skills that have frustrated opponents and their fans in the AL Central for more than a decade.

“Burke knows that that was a good pitch, and obviously a better swing by Ramírez there,” Venable said of the two-strike offering. “That's what he does. He does special things, especially in the high-leverage spots, in these big moments, and that's what we saw tonight. But again, that's a good pitch, just went down and got it.”

After the White Sox used openers in the first four games of the series, Burke was rightfully given the nod to start after he excelled in a bulk role in Game 2 on Monday, allowing one run on one hit over 5 1/3 innings to pick up the victory.

Burke said he knew he had good stuff from his very first pitch of the game, a 93.6 mph sinker to Steven Kwan, and felt locked in early. He sat down the first nine batters he faced, matching Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams in a pitching duel.

But Kwan opened the fourth with a single on an 0-1 knuckle-curve that caught too much of the plate to set up Ramírez’s heroics. To Burke’s credit, he settled down to get through five innings to help pass the baton to relievers Sean Newcomb and Grant Taylor, who combined for three scoreless frames.

“Sean was great,” Venable said. “We talked about how confident we were in him being the guy to take the ball for us, and he was every bit as advertised as far as attacking the zone. I thought he had really good stuff, really good fastball, really good spin tonight, too. He really stepped up and pitched really well and gave us a chance.”

Burke, 26, showed he can shine on the big stage, as he posted a 3.77 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 14 1/3 innings this postseason. He’s one of several young players who make up the core of this tight-knit White Sox club, and was the only pitcher who gave them reliable bulk innings in the playoffs this year, which makes their success against Houston and the first two games against Cleveland even more impressive.

“I don't know what the media and whatever had for us to make the playoffs at the start of the year, but I know it was a long shot,” Burke said. “Just to see this group put that aside and continue to fight every single day and how we showed up, how we got together on the field, off the field. They’re all just great guys. This is the best group I’ve ever been a part of.”

Outside of Burke, the White Sox relied on an unorthodox mix that included rookie lefty Hagen Smith, Taylor and an assortment of veterans such as Jordan Hicks, Erick Fedde and Newcomb. It nearly got them to the ALCS for the first time since 2005, and while White Sox players were understandably sullen postgame, they’re also optimistic about the future.

“It’s unbelievable, we’re still a great group,” Taylor said. “This is going to be an invaluable experience for us."