CHICAGO — The Cleveland Guardians silenced Rate Field with a six-run sixth inning Thursday, beating the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in Game 4 of the American League Division Series to force a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday at Progressive Field.
Facing postseason elimination after falling behind 2-0 in the best-of-five series, Cleveland entered what was expected to be a hostile environment against a team whose fanbase had waited a half-decade to witness postseason baseball. "I always ask the players," manager Stephen Vogt said this week. "'What do you like better? Do you like to make 50,000 people go crazy, or do you like to shut 50,000 people up?' They're both very different feelings, but they're equally as fun." The hushed silence that fell over Rate Field in the sixth inning fell into the latter category.
The outburst turned the game and kept Cleveland's season alive. The Guardians are now one step away from an American League Championship Series matchup with the Rays, after their odds to keep their season alive looked incredibly long just three days ago.
History points to a coin flip in Cleveland. Of the 18 previous teams to fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-five postseason series before rallying to win the next two games, 10 (56%) have proceeded to also win Game 5 and the series. In postseason history, teams playing winner-take-all games in their home ballpark have gone 70-68, including 19-22 in the Division Series.