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Following a disappointing loss on Wednesday to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series, the Chicago White Sox were in desperate need of a victory to avoid sending the series back to Cleveland.
Instead, they dropped Game 4 by a score of 9-5, in a game marred by poor pitching.
The series is now headed to a winner-take-all Game 5.
Had the White Sox secured the win on Thursday, it would have been their first postseason series victory on their home field in 120 years.
Pitching Staff Overwhelmed and Exhausted
Entering the game, the White Sox required a strong performance from their pitching staff to come out on top. Instead, they endured a complete collapse.
Opener Hagen Smith managed just two outs before walking the bases loaded. He was promptly replaced by Erick Fedde, who at least recorded the final out of the inning to keep the game scoreless.
Fedde cruised until he surrendered a solo home run to Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey, an ominous sign of things to come.
In the fifth inning, manager Will Venable brought in high-leverage reliever Jordan Hicks to face José Ramírez. The Guardians' star third baseman immediately made Hicks pay with a two-run shot to give Cleveland the lead.
From that point on, it was ugly for the White Sox.
Anthony Kay allowed two runs while recording just one out. Then, a truly baffling decision was made: closer Grant Taylor was inserted in the sixth inning with runners on base. Taylor had been heavily used this postseason and was overworked again.
In a tied game, Taylor blew a reclaimed lead (credited to Kay) and gave up four additional runs without recording an out, throwing 18 pitches.
This pitching staff is truly gassed ahead of an elimination game.
Offense Shows Life but Fails to Capitalize
After a 19-strikeout performance in Game 3, the White Sox offense's key to the game was better plate discipline. They showed it early, chasing Cleveland ace Parker Messick from the game after 2.1 innings. Messick walked four batters and allowed two runs, but it wasn't enough.
After Messick's exit, the White Sox struggled. They left 12 runners on base and recorded only one hit with runners in scoring position. They did convert on a couple of sacrifice flies, but leaving that many runners stranded is a recipe for defeat in a playoff game.
A massive missed opportunity.
Next Up
The White Sox will return to Cleveland on Saturday after losing both home games in this series, for a pivotal elimination game. Sean Burke is likely to start, as he has been Chicago's only reliable starter this postseason. In Game 3, Burke allowed one run in 5.1 innings.
One would expect most of Chicago's high-leverage relievers to be available for Game 5 with an off-day, but using Taylor for 18 pitches hurts.
The White Sox need Burke to have a lengthy outing for the team to have a shot in this one.
The good news for the White Sox is that they at least forced the Guardians to use Gavin Williams in the ninth inning. It's now unclear who Cleveland will have starting after using eight pitchers in Game 4.
Either way, this will be an exciting (and stressful) Game 5 matchup.
Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.