It's win-or-go-home time in Cleveland! Everything you need for Game 5

Oct 10, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

It all comes down to this for the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox!

With two consecutive road wins in Chicago, the Guardians sent the American League Division Series back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday night. The winner gets an AL Championship Series date against the Tampa Bay Rays.

What will decide ALDS Game 5 and how will all the action play out? We've got you covered with pregame keys for both teams, lineups, live updates and takeaways from Cleveland.

Key links: Mega-preview | Series outlooks | Bracket | Schedule

First pitch: 8 p.m. ET

Game 5 starters: Sean Burke vs. Gavin Williams

What the White Sox must do to win: There is no mystery here. The White Sox need some length from Sean Burke. He gave it to them in their Game 2 win, throwing 5⅓ innings while giving up just one run. It's unclear if the bullpen's Game 4 implosion occurred because arms are tiring but why take the chance? Pound-for-pound, Burke has been the team's best starter all season -- if you can't rely on him now then Chicago doesn't deserve to advance. The way the playoffs are going, another 5⅓ will feel like a complete game -- and give the White Sox a great chance to win. -- Jesse Rogers

What the Guardians need to do to win: Gavin Williams & Co. have to keep the White Sox in the yard, as they've done well so far in the series. Chicago has been antsy at the plate in the series, expanding the zone and swinging big too often with runners on base. But it's also a team that ranked third in the AL with 211 homers. Long balls have often been contagious for the ChiSox, and Cleveland isn't likely to out-homer them in a slugfest.

At the plate, the hitters have to work counts like they did so well in Chicago. The White Sox's bullpen looked gassed in Games 3 and 4 but if Sean Burke gets on a roll, which he has done a number of times this season, he can get into the middle innings and shorten the workload of Chicago's relievers at the end of the game. Cleveland needs to get Will Venable's pitching merry-go-round spinning as early as possible in Game 5. -- Bradford Doolittle

Game 5 X factor: After closing out Game 4, Williams said he's ready to start in Game 5. "Seven, eight, nine innings," he told ESPN. "Whatever they need, I'm ready." Williams punched out 11 in Game 2, but the White Sox chased him after 98 pitches in five innings. So while, seven, eight, nine might be a stretch, the notion of efficiency is paramount to keep Guardians manager Stephen Vogt from needing to rely too heavily on a bullpen taxed by a trying series. Williams skipped his standard bullpen session Wednesday so he could throw in Game 4 Thursday. The Guardians can only hope he is indeed ready. -- Jeff Passan

Stat you need to know: The Guardians are the sixth team in playoff history to force a Game 5 after losing the first two games at home. Three of the other five teams won their series: 2015 Blue Jays (over the Rangers), 2012 Giants (over the Reds), 2001 Yankees (over the A's). The 2010 Rays and 1981 Brewers lost Game 5. But the key stat? Maybe it's the 50 pitches Cade Smith threw over Games 3 and 4. He tried to go two innings for the second game in a row in Game 4 but couldn't get an out in the ninth. After pitching in each of the first four games, will he have another two-inning stint in him? -- David Schoenfield