CLEVELAND -- This must be how it had to be.
The White Sox and Guardians have exhausted each other all year. They played 13 times in the regular season, with seven games decided by one run and four ending with a walk-off. Their AL Central battle came down to a single game. And now, their best-of-five ALDS has reached a decisive Game 5 on Saturday night, at what will be a packed and passionate Progressive Field.
These teams’ scouting reports on each other are so detailed at this point that they include players’ childhood fears and preferred orders at the airport Cinnabon. There are old married couples that haven’t spent as much time together as the 2026 Sox and Guardians.
But only one of them can advance to face the No. 1-seeded Rays in the ALCS, which begins Monday at Tropicana Field. And with both Chicago and Cleveland having won two games apiece in the other’s domain, this deeply personal hard-fought series -- the only LDS to go the distance this year -- will now get the winner-take-all it deserves.
“Just on to the next,” White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “Flush these last two games. It’s out of our control now. All we can control is how we show up on Saturday.”
After Gavin Williams closed out the Guardians’ win in Game 4 with an emergency relief appearance, he will take the ball in Game 5 for his second start this series. Williams, who struck out an AL-best 248 batters in the regular season, struck out 11 more in only five innings in Game 2.
“It's a Game 5, win or go home,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Gavin wants the ball. We want him to have the ball, and it's his game.”
Give Cleveland credit for pulling itself off the mat in a tough environment on the South Side. José Ramírez roared to life, and a Guards offense that had been flat in Games 1 and 2 scored 18 runs total across Games 3 and 4.
The last team to rally from an 0-2 hole in a best-of-five series and win it was the 2017 Yankees … against Cleveland. The Guardians could join the 2001 Yankees (vs. A’s), 2012 Giants (vs. Reds) and 2015 Blue Jays (vs. Rangers) as the only teams to come back from 0-2 in the Division Series after losing the first two at home. One figures that if the Guardians are going to end the longest active championship drought in the sport (dating back to 1948), they might as well do it the hard way.
“I think momentum's definitely going to be big in this next one,” Steven Kwan said. “We kind of let the home crowd down those first two games. So hopefully it's another chance at redemption.”
As for the Sox, they missed their chance to clinch a playoff series at home for the first time since 1906. But that trivia is trivial compared to the ultimate goal of reaching the next round in any way, shape or form. No one expected Chicago to even reach the playoffs this year, but this No. 6-seeded team has made serious noise with its unorthodox pitching plan. And as bad as things went at home, at least they come into Game 5 with their best starter, Sean Burke, rested and ready.
“Play our baseball,” White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “Some at-bats we bounced back and had some good little runs. Couldn’t get that big hit. But they are a good staff and a great pitching staff. It’s not easy, it’s not easy against them ever.”
This exhausting, exhilarating AL Central rivalry has one game left to play. It’s the Central focus of the baseball world.
When is the game and how can I tune in?
Game 5 of the ALDS presented by Booking.com is scheduled for Saturday at 8 ET/7 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max.
The ALDS will be available in Spanish on UniMas, while Univision’s TUDN Radio will provide Spanish-language audio coverage. ESPN Radio will provide live national coverage of all 2026 MLB Postseason games.
Who are the starting pitchers?
White Sox: RHP Sean Burke
Key stats: Burke allowed one hit and one run over 5 1/3 innings when he pitched in bulk relief against the Guardians in Game 2.
White Sox manager Will Venable committed to Burke starting Game 5 during a Friday afternoon Zoom session from Rate Field. The right-hander had a 2-0 record with a 1.04 ERA in three regular-season appearances (two starts) against the Guardians, so the White Sox have to feel confident.
Guardians: RHP Gavin Williams
Key stat: Williams is coming off his first relief appearance at any level as a professional. Before that, his previous bullpen experience came in 2021 while in college at East Carolina.
The Guardians’ advantage in earning a postseason first-round bye was their ability to get Parker Messick and Williams two starts apiece in the ALDS. Ironically, Messick’s 2 1/3-inning effort in Game 4 prompted an unplanned bullpen game in which Cleveland used seven additional pitchers -- including Williams, who got the final three outs.
Vogt on Friday announced Williams, who threw 18 pitches, will be his Game 5 starter.
“After the game last night, I was walking by his office and I told him I was ready to go,” Williams said Friday. “Whatever [I need to do] to help the team win, that's what I'm going to do. It doesn't matter the role at this point.”
What do the starting lineups look like?
White Sox: With the right-handed throwing power of Williams on the mound, look for Venable to go back to his left-handed directed lineup.
- Sam Antonacci, LF
- Kyle Teel, C
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Munetaka Murakami, 1B
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Tristan Peters, CF
- Chase Meidroth, 2B
- Braden Montgomery, RF
- Colson Montgomery, SS
Guardians: Patrick Bailey figures to be back behind the plate after he went 2-for-3 with a pinch-hit home run and two RBIs in Game 4. It will be curious if the Guardians make a switch in the outfield, given Angel Martínez is 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts this series. Daniel Schneemann, Petey Halpin and David Fry each are options on the ALDS roster.
- Steven Kwan, CF
- José Ramírez, 3B
- Chase DeLauter, RF
- Jo Adell, DH
- Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
- Angel Martínez, LF
- Travis Bazzana, 2B
- Patrick Bailey, C
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
White Sox: Grant Taylor explained after Thursday’s rough showing (where he faced six hitters and didn’t retire any of them) how he will be ready to throw Saturday in any form even if it’s nine innings. The White Sox will be using whomever they have available, whether it’s relievers or starters, to get through Game 5.
Guardians: Whoever advances to the ALCS will do so with a pitching staff that has carried a heavy workload this series. The Guardians will worry about Game 1 of that series if they are fortunate to get there, Vogt said Thursday night. It will be all hands on deck coming out of the off-day on Friday.
“Obviously we need to see how everybody feels today,” Vogt said Friday. “We need to see how everybody feels coming in tomorrow. But I think if you're a pitcher on our roster, be ready to go tomorrow.”
Any injuries of note?
White Sox: None.
Guardians: Austin Hedges took a Teel foul tip off his right knee in the second inning in Game 4. He was sore on Friday, Vogt said, but the skipper expressed optimism Hedges will be ready to go on Saturday.
Who is hot and who is not?
White Sox: Miguel Vargas homered in the ninth inning off Cade Smith Thursday and reached base three other times via the walk. Munetaka Murakami singled while also walking twice.
Guardians: Ramírez is 4-for-9 with a double, a triple, a homer and five RBIs after he went 0-for-6 to begin the series. Rocchio is 2-for-11 through four games.
Anything else fans might want to know?
- Vargas has reached base 12 times in total during the series.
- Bailey’s pinch-hit homer in the fifth inning of Game 4 was the first by the Guardians in the postseason since Jhonkensy Noel in Game 3 of the 2024 ALCS.