The Cleveland Guardians<\/a> earned a trip to the American League Championship Series after a 2\u20130 win over the Chicago White Sox<\/a>\u00a0Saturday at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez<\/a> <\/strong>was the hero in this contest, delivering a two-run blast in the fourth inning. This game caps a nice comeback for the Guardians, who at one point, trailed 2\u20130 in this best-of-five matchup.<\/p>\n With the division series behind them, the Guardians will prepare for the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>, which will get underway Monday with first pitch slated for 8 pm Eastern at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. As of press time, both teams have yet to name their starting pitchers for the series opener.<\/p>\n This game remained scoreless for the first three and a half innings. The Guardians got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with right-hander Sean Burke<\/a><\/strong> on the mound. Steven Kwan<\/a><\/strong> led off the frame with a single to right. That brought up Ramirez, who smoked a line drive on a 2\u20132 pitch that barely cleared the wall in right for a two-run homer, his second of the series.<\/p>\n Jose Ramirez was a big factor, not only in this game, but over the last three games for the Guardians. In that stretch, he went 5-for-12 with two home runs, seven RBI, a double, and a triple. He also drew four walks and stole one base. His home run in the fourth was all the offense the Guardians needed in front of a packed house in Cleveland.<\/p>\n The single by Kwan, while marking an important baserunner, was icing on the cake.<\/p>\n The Guardians pitching staff surrendered six baserunners but stranded them all. They held the White Sox to an 0-for-1 clip with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n The Guardians prevailed with a 2\u20130 lead but they could have scored several more runs. As a team, they left five on base and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n Guardians starter Gavin Williams<\/a><\/strong> picked up his first win of the postseason on Saturday. He tossed 5 2\/3 innings, surrendering two hits and one walk, while striking out 12, tying a franchise playoff record.<\/p>\n Cade Smith<\/a><\/strong>, in a late-inning relief role, notched his first save of the postseason after pitching an inning and two thirds with four strikeouts.<\/p>\n Burke shouldered the loss in this one. He pitched five innings, giving up two runs, both earned, on four hits, one of which was the Ramirez long ball. Burke also struck out four.<\/p>\n After the game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt<\/strong><\/a> took a moment to praise Ramirez’ performance in this series. “It was like we got our backs against the wall and he said, all right, I got you,” Vogt said. “That’s what he’s been doing for this franchise long before I got here. And he’s been through a lot this year. We’ve been through a lot this year, and we cannot wait to play on Monday and I can’t wait to keep watching Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez do what he does.”<\/p>\n Guardians starter Gavin Williams reflected on tying the franchise record for strikeouts in a playoff game. “I mean, I’d say it’s pretty cool,” he remarked “But at the same time, I don’t think that’s the big thing to look at. I think we got a bigger goal as the team, and just trying to help the team as much as I can.”<\/p>\n White Sox manager Will Venable<\/strong><\/a> discussed the emotions his team was experiencing after the game. “I think it says a lot,” he said. “Number one, we are sitting in disappointment, obviously, and it hurts not to be able to advance here. That’s what we came to do. So we’re not just happy that we got here. We understand what it takes to get here and have more clarity on what it’s going to take the next time around to go even further.<\/p>\n “At the same time, you know, you do zoom out and look what this group accomplished and what they did to bring baseball back to White Sox [sic] and the pride back to the organization and then really the city. It’s just amazing what these guys did. So very proud of our group,” he continued. “The way that they did it, too, in coming to the ballpark every day excited. I told those guys after the game, this was easily the most fun that I’ve had in all my years in Major League Baseball, and it’s because of the personalities in that room, the character of the group, and they went out there every day, fought, and did things the right way.”<\/p>\nGuardians \u2013 White Sox Game Summary<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for the Guardians<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Guardians<\/h4>\n
Pitching Notes<\/h4>\n
Vogt’s Postgame Comments<\/h4>\n
Williams’ Postgame Comments<\/h4>\n
Venable’s Postgame Comments<\/h4>\n
Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>