Cleveland Guardians finally find some offense, keep their season alive in ALDS Game 3. vs White Sox

CHICAGO — The task was pretty simple for the Cleveland Guardians going into Game 3 of the ALDS: Win or be swept. With the Chicago White Sox holding a 2-0 series lead, going on the road added to the challenge for the Guardians.

In order to stave off elimination and fight back in this series, Cleveland was going to have to find some offense to match a red-hot White Sox team. And to silence a raucous crowd at Rate Field, the Guardians would need to put runs on the board early.

Well, the Guardians were up to the challenge Wednesday. They scored runs early and often in Game 3, routing the White Sox 9-3 to keep their season alive and force a Game 4 on Thursday.

"I think pressure is external," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "You only feel the pressure you put on yourself. So we had pressure today. It's win or go home."

Offense is not the Guardians' strength; they ranked just 24th in MLB in runs scored this season. And through the first two games of this ALDS, big hits had been awfully hard to come by.

Cleveland didn't put much pressure on the White Sox in those two games, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Not only were the Guardians not creating much traffic, but even when they did, they weren't driving in runs.

But the third inning of Game 3 offered the Guardians a golden opportunity to rally. A leadoff walk followed by two one-out singles tied the game 1-1. Then White Sox rookie Hagen Smith walked José Ramírez to load the bases.

Another out put the Guardians in danger of wasting their bases-loaded opportunity. But after finding some offense late in Game 2, Guardians designated hitter Jo Adell carried that success into Game 3. On a 1-2 count, Adell lined a high fastball from Smith down the right-field line, and it slowly rolled to the wall, clearing the bases and giving the Guardians a 4-1 lead. It was Adell's second triple in as many games.

"It felt like a big, deep breath that we were able to take," left fielder Steven Kwan said afterward. "I feel like the first couple games, we were getting the baserunners on. [But] we didn't get the big hit. Got the big hit there — it definitely felt good."

When the Guardians acquired Adell from the Angels at the trade deadline, the idea was to provide additional impact for a lineup that needed it. And when his moment came in Game 3, the DH delivered.

"I think anytime we're in a position where we're able to put early pressure, we're looking to take advantage," Adell said of the Guardians' third inning. "This is the postseason. There's matchups all the way through — the first inning all the way into the ninth. So we know when we can get ahead and get some traffic, it's really, really crucial to get those runs up early."

Cleveland's four-run third inning was monumental for a few reasons. It saved the Guardians' season, at least for a day. Also, innings like that haven't happened often this season for the Guardians. Cleveland scored four or more runs in an inning just 26 times in the 2026 regular season, which ranked 29th in MLB. Only the Texas Rangers had fewer big innings.

On Wednesday, Cleveland's success at the plate didn't stop in the third inning. The Guardians continued to put pressure on the White Sox's pitchers, as they consistently got on base, drawing a total of 10 walks in the contest to go with 11 hits while handing Chicago its first loss of the postseason.

Ten different Guardians recorded a hit and/or scored a run in the 9-3 rout. Four players — Adell, Patrick Bailey, Brayan Rocchio and Ramírez — recorded multi-hit games.

Amid all the fireworks from Cleveland's victory, Ramírez's big game — 2-for-4 with a double, triple, walk and stolen base — might be one of the biggest developments for the Guardians and could be exactly what they needed as they try to force a Game 5 in this series.

"I don't think anybody's surprised. That's just what he does and what he can do at all times," Kwan said postgame. "When we get all excited for him, he tells everybody, 'Why are you surprised? This is what I do.'"

That might be so, but the Guardians' superstar third baseman did not have the kind of MVP-caliber season the baseball world has come to expect from him. Much of that likely has to do with the hamate bone fracture he sustained in early June, an injury from which it often takes hitters six months to fully recover.

But Ramírez looked like his old self in Game 3. He also showed his all-around skills defensively, snagging a Miguel Vargas line drive that would've tied the game in the sixth inning.

"We always know he's one swing away," Vogt said. "When he hit that first ball in the first inning — the lineout, great play by [Randal] Grichuk — you knew he was here. He creates a run with his legs. That's why he's one of the best players in the league. He can hurt you with the bat, the legs and the glove. He showed all that today."

The Guardians still face elimination Thursday but they clearly believe they've at the very least swung momentum back in their favor. In addition to finding their groove on offense, they have their two aces, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, lined up for Game 4 on Thursday and a potential Game 5 on Saturday.

"We came here to compete," Ramírez said. "That's what they did also … they won two games. We can do it, too.

"Our mindset is the same: Just come here tomorrow, win one more game, and keep going."