CHICAGO -- Bringing playoff baseball back to the South Side of Chicago was a primary goal for the White Sox when their 2026 playoff push began in Houston during the American League Wild Card Series.
Mission accomplished.
The White Sox swept two from the Astros to set up the American League Division Series battle against their AL Central rivals from Cleveland.
Maybe the same goal will work as the main focal point for a second time following a 9-5 Guardians victory before 39,920 fans at Rate Field Thursday night in Game 4.
Cleveland lost both games at home to start this series last Saturday and Monday, looking as if another postseason coronation would take place for the White Sox before one of their two Blackout-themed frenzied crowds.
Instead, the Guardians claimed two road victories, leaving the White Sox with just one home playoff series-clinching win in their franchise history during the 1906 World Series over the Cubs. Now, they have to survive a winner-take-all matchup Saturday night at Progressive Field if they want another shot for home success against the Rays in the AL Championship Series.
“Yeah, exactly. Why can’t we do it again?” White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters said. “We’ve shown that all year. We’ve lost games and come right back. You can’t dwell on these kinds of losses. All you can do is look forward and play it day by day.”
“Certainly that's something that we wanted to give our fans,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of winning at home. “We just want to win this series however possible, and wherever that is, we'll take it. Obviously to do it here would be special, but we knew this was going to be a grind.”
White Sox fans showed up in full force Wednesday and Thursday. The party began literally hours before the first pitch and carried on via countless “Let’s go Sox” chants throughout the night. That party ended Thursday during a six-run sixth for the Guardians, who spent the frame connecting off Grant Taylor.
Taylor has been nearly invincible in closing out victories, starting with a 54-pitch outing in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Houston and notching two saves in Cleveland (including a four-inning save in Game 1 of the ALDS), but he didn’t have it Thursday night after entering a tie game in the sixth inning. Taylor faced six Guardians and all six reached base, turning a 4-3 Cleveland deficit into a 9-4 lead.
“He was just throwing balls today,” Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan said of Taylor. “It's electric stuff. When it's in-zone, it's tough to hit. When it's out of zone, you just take it for balls. That was a big difference.”
“It truly was execution,” said Taylor, who walked two and gave up four hits. “They just had good at-bats. Made me come to them. Two walks isn’t going to get the job done. When I did come into the zone, they put the ball in play and good things happened for them.”
Even after throwing 18 pitches Thursday night, Taylor will be ready to go in Game 5.
“I’m going to be available for anything,” Taylor said. “If they want me to go nine, then go for it. I’m going to do everything in the next couple of days to be ready to go.”
The White Sox held leads of 2-0 and 4-3 as they inched closer to that home clincher. Although it was in defeat, their ninth-inning work against closer Cade Smith and Gavin Williams might have been most important to Saturday.
Smith tried to close out a second straight game with two innings of relief work, but yielded Miguel Vargas’ home run leading off the ninth and then walked Munetaka Murakami. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt went to Williams, who remains an option to start Saturday, and the hard-thrower needed 18 pitches to send the teams back to Cleveland.
It could be Williams vs. Sean Burke for the White Sox -- just like in Game 2, when Burke pitched bulk relief -- although Venable wouldn’t commit to Burke as the starter. As it was Thursday, anyone and everyone will be available to move their respective team to the ALCS.
The goal of returning to Chicago for more playoff baseball provides the White Sox with extra drive.
“Yeah, it sucks,” second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “We all wanted it so bad for the fans. The series is so far from over. We are still in a great spot. It’s 2-2, it’s a rubber match. Everything on the table Saturday. Let’s go.”