The Chicago White Sox’s first playoff loss of the season came with a jolt Wednesday, a 9-3 defeat to the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field that kept the American League Division Series from ending in a sweep.
Chicago still holds a 2-1 edge in the series, with Game 4 on tap Thursday at Rate Field. The start time will depend on the result of the Yankees-Rays game in the other ALDS.
The White Sox gave themselves an early lift with a run in the bottom of the first, but Cleveland seized control with a four-run third inning and never gave it back. Chicago pulled within 5-3 in the sixth and had chances to flip the game, yet the offense came up empty in key spots, finishing 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and striking out 19 times.
For Chicago, the game was also part of a bigger scene: the club’s first home playoff game since 2021. After a stretch that included 324 losses over the previous three years, the season has already produced a turn that few would have predicted. The team has been urging fans to show up in black for a “blackout.”
“I think it's going to be electric,” White Sox reliever Bryan Hudson said Tuesday. “I don't think it will be anything we're used to or we've been in this year.
I think it's going to be awesome. I think all the boys are going to have some extra adrenaline.”
The crowd on Wednesday arrived with that same blend of hope and nerves, ready for a win at home. One fan put it simply: “They don't quit. It feels like every game is something special, something new,” one fan said.
Chicago’s home results this season gave supporters reason to believe. The White Sox went 48-33 at Rate Field after finishing 33-48 there in 2025, and they took four of six home games from Cleveland during the regular season.
“Fun to watch them and how they upgraded their game from the last two seasons,” one fan said.
There was also a small but unmistakable symbol of White Sox fandom waiting in the ballpark: the seat reserved for Pope Leo XIV. Before he was Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost attended the 2005 World Series, and on Wednesday several fans stopped by to tap the seat for luck.
“It’s surreal. A pope from Chicago, you’d never expect it, and it’s just awesome. I think it’s brought the city together in many ways, and hopefully it continues to be that way,” Anthony Skokal said.
Skokal said following the White Sox is a family tradition, one that took him to the 2005 World Series with his family. The Sox swept the Astros to win that title, and he was hoping for a similar result Wednesday.
Instead, Chicago’s wait for a clincher goes on until Thursday, when the White Sox will get another shot to finish off the series and reach the ALCS.
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Will Venable Put White Sox Fans On Notice Before A Massive Game 4
The White Sox took a hit in Game 3, falling 9-3 to the Guardians and snapping a four-game postseason winning streak, but the larger picture still favors Chicago with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five ALDS. Even with the setback, manager Will Venable projected confidence in his groups ability to reset quickly, which matters now more than ever with the series shifting back to Rate Field for a pivotal Game 4 on Thursday.
Chicago has spent much of October looking composed, and Venables tone after the loss suggested he expects that edge to show up again when it counts. A series lead can disappear fast in the postseason, so the pressure is real, but the White Sox remain in position to close things out at home if they can rediscover the form that carried them through the first three games. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Are One Win From History As Game 4 Gets Complicated
The White Sox return home for Game 4 of the American League Division Series with a chance to close out the Guardians and move on to the ALCS, but the matchup comes with a wrinkle that could shape the tone from the first pitch. Cleveland is turning to left-hander Parker Messick, while Chicago plans to open with left-hander Hagen Smith, a setup that signals both clubs are prepared to get creative in a game with everything on the line.
Its the kind of postseason spot where every decision gets magnified, and both managers have already laid out their expectations for how Thursday could unfold. For the White Sox, the appeal is obvious: one more win and the series is over. For the Guardians, the task is simpler but no less urgent, find a way to survive a game that may hinge less on a traditional starter-versus-starter script than on which side handles the pressure better. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Enter Crucial Game 4 With One Big Decision Looming
The White Sox are back at home for Game 4 of the American League Division Series with a chance to push the Guardians to the brink, but the most immediate question surrounds who will take the ball for Chicago. Through three games, Cleveland has still not hit a home run in the series, a strange little subplot in a matchup that has otherwise been tightly packed and tense. Jose Ramirez stands out as the likeliest Guardians hitter to break that drought, which only adds a little more edge to a night already carrying plenty of it.
Chicagos own uncertainty on the mound leaves the pregame picture even more open, with no starter named yet as the series shifts into a defining point. Offensively, the White Sox are also watching the long ball conversation from their side, where Munetaka Murakami enters as the favorite to go deep based on how he has handled the postseason so far. In a game where one swing could change the entire feel of the series, the White Sox still have the biggest decision left to make. [Read more 🡒]