Guardians beat White Sox 9-5 to level ALDS at 2-2 and force deciding Game 5
In short
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 at Rate Field in Chicago in Game 4 of the American League Division Series, levelling the best-of-five series at 2-2 after losing the first two games. Jose Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored, and Cleveland scored six runs in the sixth inning. Game 5 is set for Oct. 11 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, with the winner to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series.
Read the full story 2 min read
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in Game 4 of the 2026 American League Division Series at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, forcing a deciding fifth game in the best-of-five series. Yonhap and Newsis dated the game Oct. 9 Korean time, while Hankook Ilbo dated it Oct. 8 local time. According to Newsis, Cleveland lost Games 1 and 2 at home before winning Games 3 and 4 on the road, levelling the series at 2-2. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jose Ramirez, batting second, went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Yonhap reported he started at third base. [ 1 , 3 ]
Cleveland fell behind 0-2 when starter Parker Messick walked Munetaka Murakami with the bases loaded and one out, and reliever Shawn Armstrong then allowed a sacrifice fly to pinch-hitter Sam Antonacci. Hankook Ilbo placed these runs in the bottom of the third inning. In the top of the fifth, Patrick Bailey hit a leadoff solo home run to right off Erick Fedde, and with a runner on first and one out Ramirez hit a two-run homer over the right-centre fence off reliever Jordan Hicks to put Cleveland ahead 3-2. Yonhap reported that Bailey came in as a pinch-hitter and hit a 152 km/h sinker, and that Ramirez hit a 161 km/h fastball. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The White Sox retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Tim Herrin hit Antonacci with a pitch to force in a run, and Brenton Doyle added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 to Chicago. [ 1 , 3 ]
Cleveland scored six runs in the sixth on five hits and three walks or hit batters. Angel Martinez was hit by a pitch and stole a base, Travis Bazzana tied the game 4-4 with an RBI double to right, and Bailey singled to left to make it 5-4. With the bases loaded and one out, RBI hits by Ramirez, Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell extended the lead to 9-4. In the bottom of the ninth, Cade Smith gave up a leadoff solo home run to Miguel Vargas but allowed no further runs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The teams meet in Game 5 on Oct. 11 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, for a place in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the New York Yankees 3-0. Hankook Ilbo wrote that Cleveland can attempt a 'reverse sweep', while the White Sox, close to their first championship series in 21 years, have lost two straight games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The result sends the series to a deciding fifth game that will determine which team advances to the best-of-seven ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, who swept the New York Yankees 3-0. Hankook Ilbo noted that Cleveland can now attempt a 'reverse sweep', while the White Sox, close to their first championship series in 21 years, have lost two straight.
Key facts
- Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in Game 4 of the ALDS at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- After losing the first two games, Cleveland won two in a row to level the best-of-five series at 2-2. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Jose Ramirez went 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Cleveland scored six runs in the sixth inning to turn a 3-4 deficit into a 9-4 lead. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Game 5 will be played on Oct. 11 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The Game 5 winner will face the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the New York Yankees 3-0, in the ALCS. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cleveland beat the White Sox 9-5 in ALDS Game 4 at Rate Field, Chicago, tying the series 2-2. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Patrick Bailey hit a solo home run and Jose Ramirez a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Cleveland scored six runs in the sixth inning, with RBI hits from Travis Bazzana, Bailey and Ramirez among them. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Game 5 is scheduled for Oct. 11 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, with the winner facing the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The inning of Jose Ramirez's two-run home run. The article texts place it in the fifth inning, but a Newsis photo caption describes it as a sixth-inning two-run homer.
- The inning in which the White Sox scored their first two runs. Only Hankook Ilbo states it was the bottom of the third inning.