CHICAGO – There will be one more game played in this fiercely competitive 2026 Guardians/White Sox rivalry, one more game to decide which team advances to the American League Championship Series against the Rays.

That deciding Game 5, taking place Saturday night at Progressive Field, was brought about by a 9-5 Cleveland victory before 39,920 fans at Rate Field Thursday night. Cleveland lost both games at home but looked in control while fighting back to even the series.

Grant Taylor, who has been nearly invincible in closing out victories with a 54-pitch outing in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Houston and notching two saves in Cleveland (including a four-inning save in Game 1 of the ALDS), didn’t have it Thursday night after entering a tie game in the sixth inning. Taylor faced six Guardians and all six reached base during a six-run frame, turning a 4-3 Cleveland deficit into the five-run lead

Taylor walked two and allowed four singles, including Jo Adell’s two-run hit to right. The White Sox took an early 2-0 lead, gave away that lead during a three-run Cleveland fifth punctuated by José Ramírez’s home run and then rallied off Tanner Bibee and Tim Herrin in the bottom half of the inning.

Bibee walked Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas before being replaced, and Munetaka Murakami singled to left off Herrin to load the bases. Sam Antonacci was hit by a Herrin pitch to force in a run, because that’s how the single-season White Sox HBP record-holder operates, and Brenton Doyle’s sacrifice fly gave the lead back as “Let’s Go Sox” chants reverberated throughout. Antonacci became the first player in postseason history with multiple bases-loaded hit-by-pitches, doing it Wednesday and Thursday.

Parker Messick, an AL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award candidate, didn’t have his best stuff, but it was strong, timely White Sox plate appearances doing him in. After Colson Montgomery singled and Meidroth doubled in the third, Vargas fell behind 0-2 in the count before drawing a one-out walk to load the bases.

Murakami was down 1-2 to Messick before battling back to draw a free pass and force home a run. Antonacci swung at the next pitch from reliever Shawn Armstrong and lofted a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.