Guardians make playoff strikeout history in ALDS win over White Sox

The Cleveland Guardians needed every bit of their pitching staff to climb out of a 0-2 hole against the Chicago White Sox. By the time they finished, they had rewritten the postseason record book. Cleveland beat Chicago 2-0 in a rainy Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at Progressive Field, completing a comeback from two games down.

Along the way, Guardians pitchers struck out 75 White Sox hitters, the most ever in a postseason series lasting five games.

According to Talkin' Baseball , only three postseason series in MLB history have produced more strikeouts, and all of them went the full seven games. CBS Sports noted that the total also shattered the previous Division Series record of 64.

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The final night was a fitting exclamation point. Chicago struck out 21 times in Game 5, with starter Gavin Williams doing much of the damage. The right-hander allowed just one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, walking two and striking out 12 to tie Charles Nagy's franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game.

Jose Ramirez provided all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. The veteran turned on a two-strike curveball for the lowest pitch he has ever homered on in his career.

The strikeout parade had been building all series. In Game 3, the White Sox went down on strikes 19 times as Cleveland won 9-3 at Rate Field to stay alive. Reliever Foster Griffin set a franchise postseason record for a reliever with seven strikeouts in that game.

The Guardians then forced a decisive fifth game with a 9-5 win in Game 4 , erupting for six runs in the sixth inning. Travis Bazzana delivered the go-ahead double, and Patrick Bailey and Ramírez both homered.

Chicago, which swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series for its first playoff series win since 2005, saw its surprising run end one win short of the ALCS.

Cleveland became just the seventh team in the Wild Card era to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series. The Guardians now advance to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series, with Game 1 set for Monday at Tropicana Field.