José Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base, propelling the Guardians to a 9-3 blowout win over the White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday.
Ramírez helped Cleveland stave off elimination at Rate Field with a multi-hit performance after going hitless in six at-bats through the first two games of the best-of-five series. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone snapped out of his brief postseason funk by scalding a 106.5-mph double off White Sox rookie Noah Schultz in the fifth inning. He swiped second base and crossed the plate thanks to a brilliant slide on a fielder’s choice later in the frame. He extended Cleveland’s lead by supplying a pair of key insurance runs with a triple down the left-field line with two outs in the eighth inning. He also made a phenomenal defensive play at the hot corner to take away a potential bases-loaded hit from Miguel Vargas in the sixth inning. The Guardians need one more victory in Game 4 on Thursday evening to keep their season alive and send it back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday.
