José Ramírez came into ALDS Game 3 hitless in the series and playing through an unhealed left wrist injury. He walked out of Rate Field having single-handedly kept Cleveland’s season alive. Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs — becoming just the 10th player in MLB postseason history to record a double, triple and stolen base in the same game — as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Wednesday to force Game 4.
The win ended Chicago’s four-game postseason winning streak and denied the White Sox a chance to clinch their first postseason series at home since the 1906 World Series in front of a sellout crowd of 40,590, most dressed in black, according to USA Today and the Associated Press.
How the Guardians Avoided ALDS Elimination in Game 3
Chicago struck first. Kyle Teel’s RBI double off Daniel Espino put the White Sox ahead 1-0 in the first inning, and the sellout crowd could already taste a series-clinching win. But Espino escaped further trouble, and the game turned in the third.
With the Guardians trailing, Cleveland rallied in the third inning — and Ramírez was at the heart of it, walking and scoring in a four-run frame that Jo Adell capped with a bases-clearing triple down the first-base line off Hagen Smith. The blast gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead and completely flipped the energy of the ballpark.
Ramírez kept manufacturing runs. In the fifth, he doubled, stole third and scored on Chase DeLauter’s grounder with a headfirst slide that beat Teel’s tag. In the sixth, with the bases loaded and Cleveland’s lead trimmed to two, he made a diving stop on Miguel Vargas’ smash to end the inning and preserve the advantage. In the eighth, he tripled to drive in two more runs and put the game out of reach, per USA Today.
Adell, Ramírez, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each collected two of Cleveland’s 11 hits — a complete offensive turnaround for the AL Central champions after they managed just three runs and seven hits across the first two games of the series combined. The Guardians also recorded two triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history, a feat no major league team had accomplished since the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, NBC Sports reported.
Cleveland’s Pitching Sets a Franchise Record
While the bats finally woke up, the Guardians’ bullpen dominated. Seven Cleveland pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts — an avalanche of whiffs that overwhelmed Chicago’s lineup.
Reliever Foster Griffin set a Guardians franchise record with seven strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings, and Tim Herrin fanned the side in a perfect seventh. Closer Cade Smith worked the final two innings with five strikeouts to close it out, according to Reuters.
The White Sox, meanwhile, struck out 19 times and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami, Tristan Peters and Colson Montgomery each struck out three times, and four other White Sox batters whiffed twice. Chicago’s bullpen, so sharp during the team’s surprising postseason start, faltered when it mattered most.
White Sox starter Hagen Smith took the loss after Adell’s bases-clearing triple broke the game open in the third. Afterward, Smith was gracious: “I think there was some stuff we could have played better, but they played good, too… we’ll come back tomorrow and fight,” he told the AP.
What Game 4 Means for the White Sox and Guardians
Game 4 is set for Thursday night at Rate Field, and Cleveland will send Parker Messick to the mound. Messick went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA across 32 regular-season starts and allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings in Game 1 of this series, per the AP. Notably, the road team has won all three games in the series so far.
White Sox manager Will Venable isn’t rattled. “100% confidence,” Venable told MLB Network after the loss. “We’ve done it all year. Been in tough spots where we haven’t played our best games… the story of our group is being able to bounce back, no matter what happens.”
Chicago still leads the best-of-five series 2-1 and needs just one win to reach the ALCS — their first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2005, and a stunning turnaround for a franchise coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons before this year’s surprise run. The White Sox had won their first four games of the postseason, sweeping the Houston Astros in the wild-card round and taking the first two games of the ALDS in Cleveland.
Cleveland, on the other hand, now has real momentum. After being held to three runs and seven hits over the first two games, the Guardians’ 11-hit explosion suggests their offense has arrived. A Game 4 win would force a decisive Game 5 back in Cleveland — and with the road team winning every game so far, nobody knows how this series ends.
Read next: White Sox Shut Out Guardians in ALDS Game 1 Behind Murakami and White Sox Rally Past Guardians in ALDS Game 2
FAQ
What was the final score of Guardians vs. White Sox ALDS Game 3?
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at Rate Field in Chicago, according to USA Today and the Associated Press.
What did José Ramírez do in Game 3?
Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs scored. He became the 10th player in MLB postseason history to record a double, triple and stolen base in the same game, and he also made a diving defensive play in the sixth inning with the bases loaded.
When is ALDS Game 4 between the Guardians and White Sox?
Game 4 is Thursday night at Rate Field in Chicago. Parker Messick starts for Cleveland. The White Sox lead the best-of-five series 2-1.
Who starts Game 4 for the Guardians?
Parker Messick (12-9, 2.56 ERA in 32 regular-season starts) gets the ball for Cleveland. He allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings in his Game 1 start of this series.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.