CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians are headed to the American League Championship Series. Jose Ramirez’s two-run homer in the fourth inning lifted Cleveland past the Chicago White Sox 2-0 in Saturday night’s winner-take-all Game 5 at a rain-soaked Progressive Field, completing a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit. The Guardians will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-seven ALCS, with Game 1 set for 8 p.m. Monday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ramirez’s blast off White Sox starter Sean Burke proved to be all the offense Cleveland needed. The seven-time All-Star third baseman stayed red-hot throughout the series, and catcher Austin Hedges celebrated the win by crowning Ramirez — known as “Hosey” — with the knight’s helmet that became the team’s rally symbol during the comeback.
Cleveland dropped the first two games at home, then stormed back with a 9-3 win in Game 3 and a 9-5 victory in Game 4 to force Saturday’s decider. Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who became a minority owner of the Guardians in May, watched from the stands during Kansas City’s bye week, joining a roaring Progressive Field crowd.
Manager Stephen Vogt praised the clubhouse’s close-knit culture, calling the team’s belief in each other the engine behind three straight wins. The Guardians now sit eight wins from a World Series title, and the city is bracing for another deep October run.
