Guardians' Gavin Williams joining extremely rare playoff company with pivotal ALDS Game 5 start vs. White Sox

The Cleveland Guardians will host the Chicago White Sox for the fifth and deciding game of the American League Division Series on Saturday night at Progressive Field. The winner will advance to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, while the loser will see their 2026 season draw to a close.

Plainly, the stakes are high in Game 5. To shoulder those burdens, the White Sox will turn to right-hander Sean Burke, who was their top starting pitcher in the regular season. Cleveland will counter with right-hander Gavin Williams, who notably led the AL with 248 strikeouts during the regular season. The choice of Williams is an obvious one by manager Stephen Vogt, given that standout rookie Parker Messick took the ball in Game 4. Williams, though, is himself coming off important work in that elimination game for the Guardians: Read More...