Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning off Chicago White Sox right-hander Sean Burke, securing a 2-0 victory in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night, October 10, 2026, at Progressive Field to complete an 0-2 series comeback.
Some 37,000 Cleveland Guardians fans filled the ballpark to feel the urgency of a winner-take-all Game 5. The Cleveland faithful at Progressive Field chanted his name as a tight pitchers’ duel turned in an instant. Just moments after the crowd roared at 9:03 p.m. ET on Saturday night, Ramírez delivered a swing that turned a dual no-hitter into a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. His two-run blast off White Sox starter Sean Burke barely cleared the right-field wall at a Statcast-projected 348 feet, producing the only runs of the game and sending the Guardians to the American League Championship Series.
Setting the stage for Ramírez, Steven Kwan—among the select Guardians who had previously solved Burke—opened the fourth frame with a single.
Burke threw a 78 mph knuckle curveball well below the zone at just 0.74 feet above the ground.
Ramírez joined an exclusive franchise list with his blast, becoming the sixth Cleveland hitter to homer in a winner-take-all game, joining Jim Thome (who hit two), Travis Fryman, Rajai Davis, and Lane Thomas. He is also the first Cleveland player to homer in consecutive postseason games since Francisco Lindor in 2018, and the first Cleveland player to do so in two straight postseason games when facing elimination in both.
Gavin Williams and the Guardians Pitching Staff Set Strikeout Records
Before Ramírez provided the offense, starting pitcher Gavin Williams set a relentless tone on the mound. His fastball averaged 99 mph, ticking up a couple of notches from his regular-season average while allowing just one hit and two walks across 94 pitches.
That was big-boy stuff today. We’ve seen other performances like that in the postseason, but to do it in this stage and these types of games facing three straight elimination and you have one of your starters say I will pitch whenever you need me to, super impressive.
Erik Sabrowski entered and struck out Munetaka Murakami on a foul tip, letting out a yell. Second baseman Travis Bazzana noted that every pitch in the zone was a whiff, describing it as almost like nothing he had ever seen before, while Andrew Benintendi struck out four times, Chase Meidroth three times, and Kyle Teel twice.
Overcoming an 0-2 Deficit to Face the Tampa Bay Rays
The shutout victory capped an improbable turnaround.
Operating at less than 100 percent with lingering pain in his left wrist, the 34-year-old third baseman turned things around after starting the ALDS hitless in his first six at-bats, going 5-for-12 with four extra-base hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and five runs scored across Games 3 through 5.
White Sox manager Will Venable congratulated the Guardians on a hard-fought battle after his club finished the series on the losing end.
We cannot wait to play on Monday, and I can't wait to keep watching Jose Ramírez do what he does.
The upcoming playoff matchup represents the third time these clubs have collided in the postseason, building upon the Rays’ victory during the 2013 wild card contest alongside the Guardians’ sweep in the 2022 Wild Card Series. Cleveland is seeking its first World Series title since 1948, the longest active championship drought in Major League Baseball.
