White Sox Eliminated After Wasting 2-0 Series Lead Against Guardians

Chicago became the fourth team in MLB history to lose a division series after winning the first two games on the road, falling 2-0 on Saturday.

The Cleveland Guardians advanced to the American League Championship Series to face the Tampa Bay Rays after defeating the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Saturday night. Chicago managed just three hits and struck out 21 times, setting a new record for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning postseason game. The White Sox are now the fourth team in major league history to be eliminated from a division series after winning the first two games on the road.

Jose Ramirez provided the game's only scoring with a two-run home run off Sean Burke in the fourth inning. Statcast tracked the home run at 0.74 feet above the ground, marking the lowest pitch hit for a postseason home run since 2008. Burke surrendered the knuckle-curve for the game's decisive hit, while Chicago’s offense failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity in the sixth inning when Erik Sabrowski struck out Munetaka Murakami in relief of Gavin Williams.

Individual struggles defined the Chicago lineup, as Murakami and Andrew Benintendi each struck out four times. Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth added three strikeouts apiece to a team total that also set a division-series record of 75 strikeouts across the five games. The White Sox finished the final two games of the series going 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Over the final three games of the ALDS, Cleveland outscored Chicago 20-8 and held a 27-17 advantage in hits. This loss concludes a season where the White Sox became the first team to reach the playoffs following three consecutive 100-loss seasons, having previously swept the Houston Astros in the wild-card round.