The White Sox had Game 5 in front of them, and Gavin Williams never let them settle in.
Chicago came into the winner-take-all matchup with the ALDS already feeling within reach. Four days earlier, the White Sox had gone into Cleveland and won the first two games, putting themselves one victory from the ALCS for the first time since 2005.
Then the series flipped fast. A 9-3 loss in Game 3 and a 9-5 defeat in Game 4 dragged everything to a deciding game, and with their season on the line, the White Sox handed the ball to Sean Burke.
Williams was sharper from the jump. He needed only seven pitches to get through the first inning, then kept Chicago pinned down for most of the night.
Through five innings, the White Sox managed just one baserunner against him, a Tristan Peters walk with two outs in the second. Williams finished with 12 strikeouts, and by the time the White Sox finally got their first hit in the sixth, the game had already slipped away.
Burke kept pace early, too. Cleveland didn’t record a hit until Steven Kwan opened the fourth with a single, and the right-hander had retired the first nine Guardians hitters before that.
But with a 2-2 count on José Ramírez, Burke left a curveball up enough for Ramírez to lift it into the right-field seats. That swing put Cleveland ahead 2-0, and it turned out to be all the Guardians needed.
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ!
GUARDIANS TAKE THE FIRST LEAD OF GAME 5! pic.twitter.com/Z0zoqm513R
- MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2026
The White Sox did finally create some pressure in the sixth, loading the bases against Williams, but Murakami struck out to end the threat. From there, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith finished the job with dominant relief work, and Chicago’s season was over.
It’s a gut punch, no matter how you slice it. The White Sox needed one win in their final three games and couldn’t get it. They became the first team since 2017 to take a 2-0 lead in a Division Series and still lose it, a collapse that mirrored Cleveland’s own 2-0 playoff letdown against the Yankees that same year.
And still, there’s another side to this season. Hardly anyone expected the White Sox to even make the postseason, much less win a playoff series and push another to Game 5.
That part matters. But so does the chance they let slip away.
They also coughed up a sizable division lead late in the year, then had three chances to grab one more win and punch their ticket to the ALCS. That’s a hard one to swallow.
A long winter is coming, and the White Sox may have a chance to be aggressive in adding talent for another run next year. But the bigger shadow hanging over the sport right now is the looming labor fight between MLB and the MLBPA, with a lockout on December 1st seeming inevitable. The 2022 lockout nearly cost regular-season games, and the sides are said to be even farther apart now, with real uncertainty around if and when the 2027 season will begin.
For White Sox fans, 2026 will still bring plenty of good memories. It just won’t erase the sting of this ending. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and when they do, missing one hurts.
In Other News...
White Sox Have A Rotation Target Fans Should Take Seriously
The White Sox have turned the page to offseason planning after being knocked out of postseason contention by the Guardians, and the rotation is one of the first places the front office is likely to look for help. One name that is already worth keeping an eye on is Michael King, the Padres right-hander who fits the profile of a pitcher who could steady a staff that needs more certainty heading into next year.
King has drawn interest because of the way he pitched across both the regular season and October, giving him the kind of track record that can matter to a team looking for a dependable starter rather than a quick fix. He has also made it known he would like to stay in San Diego, but the market may still pull him into a broader sweep of free agency, which is why Chicago could have to move quickly if it wants to get seriously involved. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Have A Rotation Problem Three Arms Could Complicate
Pitching depth loomed large in the White Soxs AL Division Series collapse, and the issue is carrying straight into the offseason. After blowing a 2-0 lead, Chicagos rotation picture for 2027 already looks like a major talking point, with the front office expected to add arms while sorting through a group of in-house candidates who could help shape the staff.
Among the names to watch are Drew Thorpe, Mike Vasil and Hagen Smith, each bringing a different kind of uncertainty to the conversation. Thorpe has remained one of the more intriguing internal options, Vasil is working his way back, and Smith could get a longer look in a starters role, which gives the Sox a few possible paths but not much certainty yet. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Huge Murakami Decision After His Big Season
Munetaka Murakami quickly became one of the biggest reasons the White Sox pushed all the way to the ALDS in 2026, even if the batting average never told the whole story. Signed to a two-year deal before the season, he delivered the kind of power production and run scoring that made him impossible to ignore, and by the end of the year he had done enough to put himself in position for something bigger than a short-term fit.
The next question now is how long that relationship lasts after his current contract runs out in 2027. ESPNs Jesse Rogers believes the White Sox and Murakami have a real interest in working toward a multi-year extension, which makes sense given how well the first chapter has gone, but there is no indication anything is close yet. For a team that just found a major middle-of-the-order force, the longer-term planning may be just as important as the breakout season itself. [Read more 🡒]