Rewind two weeks. If you had told me that the Guardians would be hosting a Winner-Take-All Game 5 in the ALDS, I would have signed up for it 100 times out of 100. Hell, rewind 2 months, or even back to the first game of the season and I take it every single time. These are the opportunities you dream about, and thanks to Cleveland’s Game 4 win at Chicago, they have that chance. So won’t you join me in an anxiety inducing play by play of the Guardians’ Game 4 classic???
Well the game started with a key
component of every frustrating game (Win or Loss) that this team has: after walks from Kwan, Adell and Lowe, Hagan Smith would be chased from the game with 2 outs, but the struggling Angel Martinez would strikeout on a pitch in the dirt and the Guardians would miss yet another golden opportunity to score. The worst part about these missed opportunities is that the White Sox, much like the Tigers of the past two years, have this internal alarm clock that wakes them up every time the Guards miss an opportunity.
Now, in previous games, one might panic in this scenario, but what I’ve learned from this team is that even though they don’t often take advantage of what is given to them, they are rarely worth ruling out so early in the game. Fortunately, Parker Messick would not let a 2-out walk burn him as he blew away Murakami to head to the 2nd tied at 0.
Side note: there are few teams that I’ve seen that get more jacked up over a HBP or a Walk. Since their series at the beginning of July, I’ve seen it from Antonacci, Pham and at least one more White Sox hitter (edit; Vargas in the 3rd). Not even saying it makes me mad, as I think I’d even support my guys doing it. Just thought it was worth mentioning. You rarely see guys get so excited over the pitcher giving a Free Pass.
Anyway, after a quick top half of the 2nd, Messick would run into some early trouble vs the middle of the Sox order. He would walk Pham and then strikeout Doyle on a full count. Now, with his pitch count creeping up past 30 only 4 outs into the game, the worry would typically be how long of a leash you’d give him. But in an elimination game, all the typical rules get thrown out the window. This is Messick’s game for as long as he’s effective, and you can’t really worry about innings. Parker would come back and strikeout Kyle Teel & Braden Montgomery to keep the Sox at Zero.
The nerves. They intensify. Better Men might pass out here. But Legends like Ethan Hunt, Tom Brady, myself, we live for this moment (as I hyperventilate into my daughter’s Hello Kitty Lunchbag).
0-0 thru 2.
The Third inning was a rough reminder that you can’t just turn it on at any point. Because when you’re a team that doesn’t hit the long ball, you rely on BABIP to score. You cannot just mail it in for 2 games and then decide today is the day we start a 3 game win streak. Too much is out of your control, and the BABIP Gods were against us so far today. Hard hit balls from Jose (97), Chase (105) and Jo (108) result in a quick 1-2-3 inning for Erick Fedde. Had this not been an elimination game, I’d be feeling really loose, knowing we can get to this guy. So of course the BABIP Gods would continue to make us pay, when Montgomery would reach on a ball deflected off of Parker’s glove, then Chase “the most White Sox looking White Sox since Aaron Rowand” Meidroth would dump a double down into the left field corner and put two White Sox in scoring position with no outs.
A Grichuk K would give the Guardians a brief sigh of relief, but back to back walks from Miguel Vargas and Munetaki Murakami would bring in the first run of the game for the Sox, chasing Parker Messick with just one out in the third, and lining this game up to be the 2026 Guardians’ last.
Oh and that thing I mentioned before about the excitement they get from walks? I lied. It bothers me. But I know why they do it. No one believed in this team, and a lot of these guys came to Chicago thinking they were coming here to waste away until someone younger would take their spot. But instead they go from 121 losses to the doorstep of the ALCS in just 2 seasons. So yeah, I get the excitement. Not every team completely bottoms out when they rebuild. Some continue to win the division as they retool and regroup and watch their good players leave. Some teams don’t need the attention of the national media, constantly “glazing” them for all they’ve overcome (6 seed in weakest American League Playoff field ever). Some teams don’t need every fan of other fanbases pulling for them because they feel bad for them. Some teams just make their own luck.
The 2026 Guardians are running out of time there, as a Sac fly would make this 2-0 White Sox, a score that would hold entering the 5th inning.
What we feared in the 1st was quickly coming to fruition. The Guardians would go the next 3 innings without another scoring opportunity, and that stat of needing 4 runs to win a postseason game became true, necessary, and hard to see all at once.
Side note, again… Most successful teams (now just most teams in general) have a gimmick to get them thru a 162 game stretch. We see celebrations towards the dugouts after different kind of hits, post Win fun dancey/celebratory routines and most recently, some kind of Homerun prop. The Mariners have the Trident, the Rockies have a furry purple coat, the Twins cry into a bucket. It’s well documented at this point that the Guardians have the Knight’s helmet, which is super cool and would be SUPER depressing if it didn’t get worn once this postseason!
Thanks to a pinch hit by Patty Barrels, that won’t be an issue.
AND BEFORE I COULD EVEN COME UP WITH SOMETHING QUIPPY, THREE BATTERS LATER OUR LEADER, THE GOAT, DELIVERS
Well we got our moment, and entering the bottom of the 5th, we would need to find a way to get 15 outs from our already depleted bullpen. So in our time of need, Stephen Vogt would turn to our Opening Day Starter Tanner Bibee.
Personally, I loved the move, even if I was super nervous that he would come out way too hyped up. He certainly didn’t do anything to calm my nerves, as Meidroth lead off the inning with a 6 pitch walk without taking the bat off his shoulder. He would strikeout Tristan Peters, but walk Miguel Vargas, and Vogt had seen enough. We would not get a bulk outing from Tanner tonight, and Vogt would need the rest of the bullpen for 14 outs as well as stop the bleeding in the 5th.
He would go to Timmy Herrin, one of last night’s Heroes and one of today’s birthday boys. If you watched Herrin this year, you know he’s the most Jekyll and Hyde pitcher we have. Well, if he was Dr. Jekyll last night, striking out the side, tonight he was Mr Hyde, giving up a walk, a HBP, a Sac Fly and another walk before Vogt would go to the bullpen yet again.
Remember- at the top of the inning they lead 3-2 and needed 15 outs. They used 2 pitchers to get 2 outs, give up the lead and leave with the bases loaded. An absolute disaster of a half inning.
Sabrowski would come in to finally stop the bleeding. Getting the final out of the disastrous 5th. Guardians trail 4-3 headed to the… 6th?!?! There are still 4 more innings of this?!?! Why do we do this to ourselves???
Another side note, Murakami has passed every single test defensively at 1B. I don’t know if part of the gameplan was to test him or not, but every tough hop, every ball sliced down the line, every tough race to the bag, he’s delivered.
Onto the 6th, and what a magical 6th it would become… Angel Martinez would find a way to snap his ice cold streak (take one on the knee) and Travis Bazzana would take advantage of Anthony Kay for what feels like the first time in his career, doubling home the tying run and chasing Anthony Kay after the minimum. So the White Sox turned to… Grant Taylor? With the Clutch brothers coming up? Haven’t we seen this guy a lot? Well those Clutch Guards would come thru again, for an all time Playoff rally…
Grant Taylor would give up an RBI single to Patty Barrels (his second hit off the bench) then walks to Rocchio and Kwan, before an error to Jose and singles to Chase and Jo.
As our buddy Craig Albernaz would say, “Awwwww that’s Gawds Bawl, baby”
Grant Taylor, the White Sox Closer, faced 6 batters and recorded zero outs. The Guardians, after a disastrous 5th, answered in the way they have all season long, with a 6 run 6th to take a 9-4 lead.
12 outs to go.
Sabrowski would stay on for the 6th, after cruising thru the first two outs, he gave up an end of the bat flare single to Peters, and Vogt would once again get his steps in and hit the bullpen, this time going to Gaddis for the meat of the Sox order… and before I could freak out about Gaddis again, he gets Vargas to pop up and follow it up with 3 easy outs in the 7th- the Guards would take their 5 run lead into the 8th inning, where Cade Smith would be waiting for the final 6 outs.
Side side side side note- good for Hunter Gaddis. The guy has been leaned on so much this year, but he is so shaky for the role he is put in. To see him come thru in a big spot was great.
Am I crazy or confident to write the last two innings before they happen? Well let’s see- K’d Smith would come on for the 8th inning and make light work of the Sox lineup for another easy 6 outs, finishing off Game 4 with a 9-4 Win and putting the Guardians one Win away from the ALCS! How did I do??
Nope. Wouldn’t be ~that~ easy. Colson Montgomery would get a 9 pinch single, and that pitch count would raise to an uncomfortable 22 thru 1 inning of work.
Can Cade pitch the 9th? Would that be too much with a game Saturday? Well, it turns out Vogt was too ambitious with Cade, biting off more than he could chew. In the 9th, Cade was clearly down in Velo and lost his command, giving up a solo homer and putting on Murakami before being lifted for…. Gavin Williams?
This had all the makings of an all time unraveling from Vogt and the Guardians. Burnt your Closer and 2 Lefty horses. Used pretty much every Reliever not named Festa, Forced to throw their Game 5 starter. And 2 on no outs with a pitcher unfamiliar with coming into a game at midnight.
Exhale, Cleveland fans. You, me, we get to do this one more time. Guards win 9-5, and force that ever so sexy Game 5. Think I’ll just have to write that game up too…
Game 5 will be Saturday night at 8PM, where, well, every arm in Cleveland will take on, well, every arm in Chicago. Anxiety, good off on those tickets to Cancun for at least one more game.
