CC Sabathia congratulates Guardians on ALDS comeback over White Sox

The Cleveland Guardians have secured their spot in the ALCS after a remarkable comeback victory against the Chicago White Sox. The first three games of the American League Division Series were won by Cleveland, allowing them to advance to the next round. Former MLB pitcher CC Sabathia expressed his well wishes to the Guardians via a congratulatory message on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jose Ramirez's powerful two-run home run proved to be the pivotal moment of the game, as it scored the solitary runs for the Guardians. Nevertheless, the team's pitching performance proved to be the true standout of Game 5. Cleveland's pitchers struck out an astounding 21 batters in the nine-inning postseason contest, breaking the previous record of 19 strikeouts set by the Guardians in Game 3 of the same series.

The earlier record for the most strikeouts in a postseason game was 20, previously held by the Milwaukee Brewers in March 2024.

The Guardians will now advance to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, following the Rays' victory over the New York Yankees in their own division series. The first matchup in the ALCS will take place on Monday, with Cleveland eager to carry their momentum into the postseason. Since winning the American League Central division in the regular season, the Guardians have proven their resilience, as stated by their president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti.