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Now we have the final four. The Cleveland Guardians joined the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in advancing to the League Championship Series. One of the talking points as the LCS begin is the fact that the combined payrolls of the Brewers, Rays and Guardians are about $55 million below what the Dodgers have this year. Sounds like a perfect formula for whatever happens from here on out in the postseason as a setup as labor negotiations intensify.
Division Series Digest
Guardians Erase 2-0 Series Deficit To Advance
Final score: Guardians 2, White Sox 0
Series: Guardians win 3-2
Next game: Guardians (TBA) at Rays (RHP Drew Rasmussen) in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series, Monday, 8:08 p.m. ET (TBS)
It took some tremendous performances, but the Cleveland Guardians finally won a home game in the AL Division Series. Because of that, the Guardians are headed to the AL Championship for the second time in three years. With Gavin Williams striking out 12 just two days after closing out Game 4 and José Ramírez hitting a bad-ball homer, the Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 to win the decisive Game 5, taking the series 3-2. The Guardians lost the first two games of this series, both at home, then won twice in Chicago to give them a chance to advance at home. Now, the Guardians take on the team that had the best record in the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays, in the ALCS beginning Monday.
Williams was spectacular. Two days after pitching the ninth inning in his first career relief appearance, the ace right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. With two outs in the sixth, Kyle Teel looped a single to right field for the first hit allowed by Williams. After walking Miguel Vargas to load the bases, that would be the end of the night for Williams, who tied a franchise record with 12 strikeouts. Left-hander Erik Sabrowski came on to strike out Munetaka Murakami, the White Sox’s home run leader, to end the threat. Right-hander Hunter Gaddis struck out four in 1⅓ innings, then right-handed closer Cade Smith struck out another four, including Tristan Peters to end it, to send the Guardians to the ALCS.
That pitching effort was rewarded by Ramirez’s homer. Steven Kwan led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to left. Then Ramirez, who came alive in the two games in Chicago, hit a homer for the second game in a row, a wedge-type swing off White Sox right-handed starter Sean Burke that went out down the right-field line. The pitch, a knuckle curve, was just 9 inches above the ground when Ramirez made contact.
For the White Sox, it ended a Cinderella story of a season. Coming off three straight seasons of losing more than 100 games, including a record 121 in 2024, the White Sox led the AL Central for much of the season until being overtaken by the Guardians in mid-September.
By The Numbers
21 A game after striking out 19 White Sox, the Guardians fanned 21, an MLB record for any nine-inning game, postseason or regular season. The White Sox struck out 75 times, a record for a five-game series. It is also the fourth-most in any postseason series.
3 Guardians ace right-hander Gavin Williams became the third player in MLB postseason history to get the final out of one game and then have a start of at least four innings in the next. His 12 strikeouts are second-most in a winner-take-all game.
11 The Guardians became the 11th team to lose the first two games of a best-of-five series to advance. They are also the fourth team to lose two at home and win the series.
Lost first 2 games in best-of-5 and won series:2026 ALDS CLE*2017 ALDS NYY2015 ALDS TOR*2012 NLDS SF2003 ALDS BOS2001 ALDS NYY*1999 ALDS BOS1995 ALDS SEA*1984 NLCS SD1982 ALCS MIL1981 NLDS LAD *lost 1st 2 at home
— Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2026-10-11T03:09:51.047Z
Best Moments From Yesterday
How Low?
Need a graphic representation of how low the pitch José Ramírez homered on?
José Ramírez hit this pitch for a home run?!
Full Stop!
When you get thrown out at third after stretching a double earlier, then double again.
Entire Cleveland dugout hitting Petey Halpin with the stop sign this time, he makes it clear he was watching
In Another League
Dodgers-Brewers Rematch Begins With Epic Matchup
Series: Game 1 of NL Championship Series
Next game: Today, 8:08 p.m. ET at American Family Field (Fox)
With subplots aplenty, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers reprise last year’s NL Championship Series beginning today. Like last year, the Brewers posted the best record during the regular season and have home-field advantage for the best-of-seven series. Like last year, the Dodgers are the defending World Series champion. Now, the Dodgers are looking to take the next step toward history and becoming the third franchise to win three in a row. Last year’s NLCS was marked by the Dodgers’ dominant pitching, holding the Brewers to one run in each of the four games in the sweep. That was punctuated by Shohei Ohtani’s 10-strikeout start over six innings with an amazing three homers.
But Ohtani won’t pitch in this series and is still trying to find himself following right biceps and left knee injuries that landed him on the injured list in September. Still, the Dodgers are loaded. Left-hander Tarik Skubal, winner of the last two AL Cy Young Awards while with the Detroit Tigers, was acquired at the trade deadline to help ensure the Dodgers’ return to the World Series. He gets the start in Game 1 against Brewers ace right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who is likely to win this year’s NL Cy Young Award. This is the type of starting pitching matchup that is built for this time of year.
The Brewers are better-positioned this year from a pitching perspective. Last year, they had Freddy Peralta and a bullpen due to a handful of late-season injuries. This year, Misiorowski is followed by right-hander Logan Henderson and probably right-hander Dustin May, a former Dodger, and left-hander Robert Gasser. The Dodgers will counter with last year’s World Series MVP, right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, then some combo of left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow. Who steps up offensively for either team will determine who advances to the World Series. While the Dodgers have won the last two, the Brewers have made just one trip to the Fall Classic, back in 1982.
Extra Bases
⚾ Philadelphia Phillies president of business operations Sam Fuld declined the A’s offer to become president of baseball operations.
Articles You Should Read
Here’s why Brewers-Dodgers NLCS might have been decided in August — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
Underdogs? Brewers don’t think they are this time against the Dodgers — Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bombs away or bunt away? Either version seems to work for Rays — John Romano, Tampa Bay Times
