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Guards ride 6-run 6th to set up winner-take-all ALDS Game 5

The Cleveland Guardians defied expectations Thursday night, turning a must-win Game 4 of the ALDS into a statement victory with a six-run sixth inning that silenced the crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field. Down just 3-2 heading into the inning, the Guardians capitalized on a hostile environment—where White Sox fans had waited five years for postseason baseball—to take a commanding 9-5 lead and force a winner-take-all Game 5 back home.

The win reshaped the series narrative, as Cleveland now faces a 50-50 chance to advance to the ALCS, with historical trends favoring teams that overcome a 2-0 deficit in best-of-five matchups. Manager Stephen Vogt framed the challenge as a thrilling contrast: playing for the roar of 50,000 fans or the quiet of shutting them down, both equally exhilarating for his players.

With one foot in the ALCS and the other on the brink of elimination, the Guardians’ resilience has turned their postseason survival into a coin flip, setting the stage for a high-stakes finale at Progressive Field on Saturday.

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