White Sox Face Guardians in Winner Take All ALDS Game 5

The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will meet in Cleveland for a winner-take-all American League Division Series Game 5, with Sean Burke starting for Chicago and Gavin Williams starting for Cleveland. The winner advances to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series.

According to MLB.com, the division rivals have split the first four games of the series, with each team winning twice on the other's home field. The White Sox lead the 2026 season series 9-8, while the teams have been separated by five total runs across 17 meetings.

According to sports.yahoo.com, the White Sox lineup features Sam Antonacci, Kyle Teel, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, Andrew Benintendi, Tristan Peters, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery and Brenton Doyle. Burke enters with an 11-7 record and a 3.34 ERA.

The Guardians lineup includes Steven Kwan, José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter, Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe, Travis Bazzana, Patrick Bailey, Petey Halpin and Brayan Rocchio. Williams enters with a 14-8 record and a 3.76 ERA, according to sports.yahoo.com.

Chicago manager Will Venable is relying on Burke after the right-hander delivered a strong performance earlier in the series. According to the Chicago Tribune, Burke allowed one run on one hit with six strikeouts and one walk across 5 1/3 innings in Game 2.

"It's an honor to be able to start this game and just go out there and do my thing for the guys. Everybody is going to be ready to go. Everybody is going to be at their best for Saturday's game," said Sean Burke, pitcher.

Venable also highlighted Burke's previous outing, when the pitcher helped Chicago take a 2-0 series lead. The manager described the approach that allowed Burke to limit Cleveland's offense in that appearance.

"He was really dominant with the four-seam fastball right in the zone. He was attacking guys, working with the slider and the curve ball off of that," said Will Venable, manager.

The White Sox lost Games 3 and 4 at home after taking the early series advantage. Chicago's pitching staff issued 10 walks in Game 3 and seven in Game 4, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"Who would say no to that?" said Sam Antonacci, outfielder.

Antonacci was referring to the opportunity to return to Cleveland for another game in front of the Guardians crowd. The White Sox said their full roster would be prepared for the deciding matchup.

"It will take anything and everything to get it done," said Erick Fedde, pitcher.

Grant Taylor also said he was prepared for any role after appearing in Game 4. The White Sox bullpen strategy has required multiple pitchers to contribute throughout the postseason.

"I'm going to be available for anything. If they want me to go nine, then go for it. I'm going to do everything the next couple of days to be ready to go and put my body on the line," said Grant Taylor, pitcher.

Cleveland enters the final game with José Ramírez emerging as a key offensive figure. MLB.com reported that Ramírez hit a two-run homer in Game 4 after returning from surgery earlier in the year for a fractured left hamate bone.

"Really with Ramírez, to me it's not even about what he does at the plate. It's everything that he does. And obviously when he's hitting as well, he's as dangerous a player as there is," said Will Venable, manager.

Ramírez recorded four hits and five RBIs over the final two games before Game 5, according to the Chicago Tribune. Cleveland will send Williams to the mound after he recorded the final three outs of Game 4.

"Whatever we want to say about some of the chase that we've seen, I think at the end of the day, we're facing really good pitchers that are executing well, making it really hard for us like they have all year. You've got to give those guys some credit. I think our hitters, you see some guys that are still in really good spots.

We've had some good at-bats. Just not tapping into the slug we've seen throughout the year. But in the playoffs, things are different.", said Will Venable, manager.

Venable also addressed Chicago's need to find different ways to score against strong postseason pitching. The White Sox and Guardians have each hit two home runs in the series entering Game 5.

"These guys have bounced back every single time that we've had tough stretches or a tough game. This is no different, and everything is on the line. We've been in the environment there in Cleveland before, we're excited to get there and go to work," said Will Venable, manager.