Jose Ramírez didn’t just keep Cleveland alive in the ALDS. He owned the moment.
The Guardians’ star delivered the swing that finished off the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night, launching a two-run homer in a 2-0 win that sent Cleveland to the ALCS. It was the only scoring in the game, and it came with the Guardians needing every bit of it. Cleveland became the first team to rally from an 0-2 hole in a division series since the New York Yankees did it against Cleveland in 2017.
Ramírez also made a little history of his own. He homered in Games 4 and 5, becoming the first Guardians player to go deep in back-to-back games since 2018 and the first ever to homer in consecutive elimination games.
The Guardians’ pitching staff handled the rest, combining for a record 21 strikeouts. Now Cleveland moves on to face the Tampa Bay Rays with a chance to win the American League.
Ramírez’s five-game series line tells the story cleanly: 5 hits, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs and 6 runs. His seven RBIs are second to Ben Rice for the most in the playoffs this year, and he’s one of seven players to hit multiple home runs in the postseason so far.
For a player whose postseason numbers have lagged behind his regular-season production, this was a strong October stretch. Ramírez has a career .738 OPS in the playoffs, and while his best postseason came in 2020, when he played only two games, his 2026 run is among the best of his career.
Game 5 was the cleanest example of how he changes a series. With both starters rolling and the teams having combined for just one hit through the early going, Ramírez broke things open in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run blast.
He pulled a curveball below the zone and sent it into the right-field seats. Given how Gavin Williams was dealing, those were massive runs, and they wound up being the only ones anyone scored.
Game 4 was just as important, even if the final score was more comfortable. With Cleveland trailing 2-1 in the fifth, Ramírez launched another two-run homer to flip the game and give the Guardians a 3-2 lead.
The crowd went quiet, Cleveland grabbed the momentum, and the Guardians went on to win 9-5. It was his first homer of the postseason and a huge jolt for a player who had a down year in 2026.
Ramírez is 34 years old and the longest-tenured Guardians player on the roster. He debuted in the majors in 2013 and has been in Cleveland ever since, beginning his career at second base and shortstop before settling in at third base.
In Other News...
Guardians Face One ALCS Roster Choice That Could Shape This Series
With a seven-game battle against the Rays looming, Stephen Vogt is weighing one of those postseason roster calls that can quietly shape everything that follows. The Guardians are looking at whether to keep a deeper bench of position players or trim back toward a more traditional split between pitchers and hitters, a decision made more complicated by the grind of a long series and the need to cover every inning carefully.
Daniel Schneemanns spot is part of the conversation as the club searches for more right-handed punch, while the pitching side brings its own option if Cleveland wants another arm that can bridge multiple innings. Vogt does not have the luxury of treating this as a marginal choice, either, because the roster balance can affect late-game matchups, pinch-hit flexibility and how aggressively the Guardians can manage their bullpen over the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Enter ALCS With One Huge Pitching Question
The American League Championship Series opens tomorrow in Tampa, and the matchup between the Rays and Guardians brings together two clubs built on pitching depth. Tampa Bay already has its Game 1 plan in place with Drew Rasmussen set to take the ball, while Cleveland is still sorting through its options after a five-game Division Series against the White Sox.
For the Guardians, the biggest decision is still hanging over the start of the series, and it could shape how they line up the rest of the rotation. Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee are all in the mix as Cleveland works through its choice, a reminder that even at this stage of October, the margin for error starts with the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Made One ALCS Roster Choice Fans Will Be Watching
With the American League Championship Series now set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland adjusted its roster in a way that says plenty about how it sees this matchup unfolding. The Guardians brought in pitcher Slade Cecconi and left utilityman Daniel Schneeman off the ALCS group, a move that tilts the bench a little more toward arms as the series shifts into a deeper October grind.
Cecconi spent most of the season in the rotation, making 21 starts, but has recently been working in a relief role and figures to give Cleveland another option out of the bullpen if this turns into a longer battle. Schneeman had already been absent from the ALDS games, and his omission here underscores how much roster flexibility matters once the games become compressed and every spot has to serve a very specific purpose. [Read more 🡒]