CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians dropped Game 2 of the American League Division Series 4-3 to the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Progressive Field, falling into a 2-0 hole in the best-of-five series and facing elimination.
Starter Gavin Williams gave Cleveland exactly what it needed early, piling up six strikeouts and touching triple digits on the radar gun while keeping the White Sox off the board. The Guardians grabbed an early lead when Steven Kwan and José Ramírez came around to score in the first inning on a Chicago throwing error.
But the offense went quiet after the opening frame, and Chicago’s bullpen slammed the door. Opener Anthony Kay and Sean Newcomb gave way to Sean Burke, who worked 5 1/3 innings of relief and allowed just one hit to earn the win for the White Sox.
The decisive blow came in the sixth, when White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery lined a two-run double down the right-field line to put Chicago ahead for good. Whether manager Stephen Vogt pulled Williams too early became the night’s loudest debate among Guardians fans.
The series now shifts to Guaranteed Rate Field for Game 3 on Wednesday afternoon, where the White Sox have two chances to close it out. A series win would send Chicago to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 21 years — and mark its first postseason series clinched at home since 1906.