Cleveland Guardians stay alive in ALDS, deny White Sox clinch at home

The Chicago White Sox last clinched a postseason series at home when Jiggs Donahue and George Davis helped the South Siders defeat the Chicago Cubs in Game 6 of the 1906 World Series.

More than a century later, the White Sox came up short Thursday in their bid to clinch a spot in the American League Championship Series on their home field, falling to the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 3. The Guardians haven't made it to what is effectively the MLB's playoffs semifinals since 2005.

The White Sox entered the potential ALDS-clinching game with a 2-0 series lead and struck first when catcher Kyle Teel doubled to right field, driving in the game’s first run.

WHITE SOX RIDE ANOTHER DRAMATIC COMEBACK WIN TO BEAT GUARDIANS AND TAKE COMMANDING 2-0 ALDS LEAD

The Guardians recorded two triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history. They became the first major league team to accomplish the feat since the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series.

Adell, Ramírez, Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each had two of the team’s 11 hits — a complete turnaround for the AL Central champions after they managed just three runs and seven hits in the first two games of the series combined.

Chicago won its first four games in a surprising postseason appearance after going 60-102 last year. It was backed by a frenzied crowd of 40,590 for the franchise’s first home playoff game since 2021, but there wasn’t much for the fans to cheer in the final innings.

Parker Messick is scheduled to start for Cleveland in Game 4 on Thursday.

Wednesday marked Chicago’s first home playoff game since 2021 and another milestone in a surprising season. The White Sox had lost a combined 324 games over the previous three years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.