José Ramírez kept the Guardians’ season moving with one massive swing after another Thursday night.
Cleveland’s star third baseman broke open Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Rate Field with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning, then added to the damage in a six-run sixth that sent the Guardians rolling toward a 9-4 lead over the White Sox.
The Guardians had been staring at a 2-0 deficit when Patrick Bailey, off the bench, pulled them back into it with a pinch-hit solo home run off Erick Fedde. Steven Kwan followed with a one-out line drive back past the mound, and Chicago manager Will Venable went to Jordan Hicks from the bullpen.
Hicks opened by getting ahead of Ramírez with a 99.6 mph fastball for a called strike. The next pitch was even hotter, a 99.9 mph heater at the top of the zone. Ramírez didn’t miss it, launching it 378 feet into Cleveland’s bullpen for a 3-2 lead.
That blast was Ramírez’s fifth career postseason homer and his 43rd playoff hit, moving him into a tie with Jim Thome for third in franchise history.
And he wasn’t done.
In the sixth, with the bases loaded, Ramírez brought home another run with a fielder’s choice ground ball to second base as Cleveland piled up six runs in the inning. He later crossed the plate again on Jo Adell’s two-run single.
For the Guardians, it was the latest reminder that everything in October still runs through Ramírez.
“I don’t think you should put any limits on someone like José Ramírez,” manager Stephen Vogt said before the game. “We’ve seen what he’s done over the course of his career.”
Ramírez had been held hitless through the first two games of the series before coming through Wednesday with a two-run triple in Cleveland’s 9-3 win. He also made his mark on defense and on the bases in that game as the Guardians avoided elimination.
Thursday, he picked up right where he left off.
Venable said before Game 4 that the decision to pitch to Ramírez with first base open on Wednesday had been a tough one. Chicago chose to go after him instead of facing Chase DeLauter, and Ramírez made them pay.
“He’s not just a good player but is a guy that in those moments you know is going to step up and be at his best,” Venable said.
White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters said Chicago believed it could handle Ramírez, while still recognizing the challenge he presents.
“We’re not going to just treat him like he’s a nobody,” Peters said.
Bailey’s homer was the fourth pinch-hit home run in Cleveland postseason history and the first since Jhonkensy Noel’s three-run shot tied Game 3 of the 2024 AL Championship Series against the Yankees. But the night belonged to Ramírez, who delivered the swing that changed the game and then helped slam the door shut one inning later.
In Other News...
Foster Griffin Gave Cleveland The Outing Nobody Saw Coming
Foster Griffin turned an unexpected bullpen call into one of the defining storylines of Game 3 of the American League Division Series, giving Cleveland a lift nobody likely had on the pregame card. In just his second major league relief appearance and his first this season, Griffin worked 2 2/3 innings and punched out seven, a showing that matched the clubs postseason record for strikeouts by a reliever and fit neatly into a night when Clevelands pitchers were overwhelming from top to bottom.
The bigger picture was even more striking. Clevelands staff combined for 19 strikeouts in the nine-inning game, setting an MLB postseason record, and Griffins burst helped underscore how much the Guardians leaned on a performance that came from an arm few could have expected to be central in October. For a team built on pitching depth, it was the kind of outing that can change how a postseason series feels, even if the larger question of where Griffin fits next is still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Forced The ALDS Back Into A Much Bigger Game 4
The Guardians made sure this ALDS is still very much alive, rolling past the White Sox 9-3 in Game 3 and trimming Chicagos series lead to 2-1. Cleveland got the kind of balanced night it needed, with Jos Ramrez delivering two hits and two RBIs, Jo Adell driving a three-run triple and Foster Griffin striking out a franchise postseason-record seven in 2 2/3 innings.
Game 4 now feels a lot bigger than it did before first pitch, with the series shifting back to Rate Field and Cleveland trying to turn one win into real pressure on a Chicago club that still holds the edge. The Guardians have already shown they can swing a game with timely hitting and a dominant relief effort, and now they get the chance to see whether that formula can force this matchup into a true grind down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Need Their Deadline Bets To Save This Series
The Guardians got exactly the kind of boost they were hoping for from their deadline additions in Game 3, and they needed it. Foster Griffin covered 2.2 innings and earned the win, while Jo Adell delivered a three-run triple in a 9-3 victory over the White Sox that kept Cleveland alive in the ALDS and showed why front offices pay for late-season help.
Now the pressure shifts to Game 4, where Cleveland still has to avoid elimination and Parker Messick is scheduled to start. A series that looked like it might slip away suddenly has some life, but the Guardians will need the very players they added to stabilize the roster to keep extending it. [Read more 🡒]