Just four days ago, the White Sox were in the driver’s seat in the ALDS. They’d gone into Cleveland and taken the first two games of the series on the road and were set to head home with two chances to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2005. In the blink of an eye, the season is over. A poor showing in Game 3 led to a 9-3 loss, and a brutal sixth inning doomed them in a 9-5 loss in Game 4. With the season hanging in the balance, the Southsiders turned to their best starter, Sean Burke, to face AL strikeout leader Gavin Williams in Game 5.
From the get go, Gavin Williams was locked in. He retired the White Sox on just seven pitches in the first inning before really settling in. A Tristan Peters walk with two outs in the second was the only baserunner of the White Sox through the first five innings against Williams, who struck out 12 Chicago hitters on the night. For the first three innings, Sean Burke was matching Williams. The first nine Guardians hitters were retired before Steven Kwan led off the fourth with a single. With a 2-2 count on Jose Ramirez, Burke threw a curveball that was nearly in the dirt. Somehow, Ramirez elevated it enough to drive it into the right field seats, and the Guardians took a 2-0 lead. That would prove to be all they needed in Game 5.
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ!
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2026
GUARDIANS TAKE THE FIRST LEAD OF GAME 5! pic.twitter.com/Z0zoqm513R
The White Sox didn’t notch their first hit until the top of the sixth inning, and they loaded the bases against Williams in frame, but Murakami struck out to end the threat. Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith followed Williams with lights-out performances to shut the door, and just like that, the best story in baseball has come to an end. Given the circumstances, it’s a tremendously disappointing outcome. The White Sox needed just one win in their last three games to advance to the ALCS, and they couldn’t get the job done. They’ve become the first team since 2017 to go up 2-0 in the Division Series and not win the series, unseating Cleveland, who blew a 2-0 lead to the Yankees that year.
2026 was a great season for the White Sox, but it's okay to be disappointed
There are two real ways to look at this. Hardly anybody expected the White Sox to even make the Postseason, let alone win a playoff series and take a second one to its final game. That’s certainly something to be happy about. At the same time, the White Sox had a huge opportunity to do so much more than they did. They coughed up a substantial division lead at the end of the season and had three chances to win just one game to make the ALCS. It’s hard to not be disappointed that they couldn’t get it done.
A long winter lies ahead for the White Sox, who may see an opportunity to be more aggressive in adding talent to make another run at it next year. But at this point, it’s tough to even think about next season. MLB and MLBPA are on a collision course in labor negotiations and a lockout on December 1st seems inevitable. The lockout nearly cost regular season games in 2022, and many have indicated that the sides are even farther apart now. There are legitimate questions about if and when the 2027 MLB season will even start.
White Sox fans will undoubtedly have fond memories of the 2026 season, but will hope it’s just the beginning of a sustained run of success with this core. It’s okay to be disappointed right now. Opportunities like this rarely come around for White Sox fans, and missing one hurts. Hopefully, there will be many more in the years to come.
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