White Sox Lead ALDS 2-0, One Win From First ALCS Since 2005

CLEVELAND, A year ago the Chicago White Sox lost 102 games. Right now they're two wins from the American League Championship Series, and the Guardians, who spent all summer beating them for the division title, can't seem to figure them out.

The White Sox defeated Cleveland 4-3 in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday night at Progressive Field, according to a game recap published by MLB.com, taking a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-five. Game 3 is Wednesday at Rate Field on the South Side.

<cite index="21-4">It was Chicago's fourth straight victory to open the 2026 postseason, all on the road, and gave them a 2-0 lead in the series.</cite> That's worth saying twice: four road wins in October for a team that went 84-78 in the regular season and slipped into the postseason as a wild card after letting the division lead go in late September.

<cite index="24-6">Manager Will Venable turned to left-hander Anthony Kay as his opener for the second consecutive contest, leaning into a relief model that has baffled opposing hitters all October.</cite> The unconventional approach is genuinely unusual for playoff baseball, where every manager instinctively reaches for a conventional starter in the biggest games of the year. Venable isn't doing that. So far, it's working.

<cite index="24-7,24-8">In the first inning, Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez scored when relief pitcher Sean Newcomb fired a wild throw wide of first base, handing Cleveland a 2-0 advantage, the first time the White Sox had trailed in 27 postseason innings following their wild-card sweep of Houston and a 3-0 shutout in Game 1.</cite>

That's when the game got interesting. <cite index="21-3">Behind a three-run sixth and stellar pitching from Sean Burke against a scrappy Guardians offense, the White Sox claimed the 4-3 victory.</cite> <cite index="21-6,21-7">The decisive blow came from switch-hitting rookie Braden Montgomery, who lined an opposite-field double down the right-field line to score two and give Chicago a 3-2 advantage; Chase Meidroth followed with a run-scoring single off Hunter Gaddis.</cite>

<cite index="21-10">Burke struck out six and walked one with one hit and one run allowed over 5 1/3 innings.</cite> He did the job, and the bullpen held the line from there.

The backstory here is what makes this whole thing worth watching. <cite index="22-4,22-5,22-6">The White Sox ended their streak of three consecutive 100-loss seasons, won their 81st game to snap a three-year losing streak, and became the first team in MLB history to clinch the playoffs after three straight seasons with 100-plus losses.</cite> That's a remarkable organizational arc in a single calendar year, though it also means someone in the front office has some explaining to do about the three years that preceded it.

<cite index="24-2">The victory puts Chicago one win away from their first ALCS appearance since 2005.</cite> That 2005 team won the World Series. Nobody in the Chicago clubhouse is saying that out loud right now, but everybody's thinking it.

Game 3 is Wednesday afternoon. <cite index="24-3">Fans have been encouraged to participate in a "blackout" at Rate Field</cite> for what could be a series-clinching home game. The Guardians, who finished 85-77 and won the AL Central, now have to win three straight just to stay alive. They haven't looked capable of that in this series.

The last time the White Sox made the ALCS, Ozzie Guillen was running the dugout and the city barely noticed until October. Twenty-one years later, the South Side is paying attention again.

Sources cited:
- MLB.com (https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-win-alds-game-2-2026)
- Time News (https://time.news/white-sox-take-2-0-alds-lead-with-4-3-win-over-cleveland-guardians/)
- ABC7 Chicago (https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/mlb-playoffs-2026-chicago-white-sox-top-houston-astros-cubs-routed-san-diego-padres-live-updates/19891175/)
- Wikipedia, 2026 Chicago White Sox season (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Chicago_White_Sox_season)