Three teams advanced to the League Championship Series on Wednesday, leaving the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians to settle the postseason’s only remaining Division Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays completed a sweep of the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Atlanta Braves, and the Milwaukee Brewers ended the San Diego Padres’ season. Cleveland prevented Chicago from joining them by winning Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Rays Sweep Yankees After Controversial Replay
The Rays defeated the Yankees 4-3 at Yankee Stadium, completing a three-game sweep and advancing to the ALCS.
Tampa Bay took the lead for good when Victor Mesa Jr. hit a two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning. New York appeared to answer in the bottom half when Anthony Volpe sent a ball toward the left-field stands with a runner aboard.
The play initially was ruled a game-tying home run. Replay showed that a spectator had reached beyond the wall and touched the ball over the field of play. Officials determined the ball would not have cleared the wall or been caught, changing the play to an RBI double and leaving Volpe at second base.
Spencer Jones then struck out, stranding Volpe and preserving Tampa Bay’s 4-3 lead.
The Yankees’ elimination extends their championship drought to 17 seasons. The Rays will face either the White Sox or Guardians in the ALCS.
Dodgers Eliminate Braves
The Dodgers earned their third consecutive trip to the NLCS with a 4-1 victory over the Braves in Atlanta, winning the series 3-1.
The game remained tied at 1 until the seventh inning. After Atlanta issued consecutive walks to load the bases, Andy Pages lined a full-count fastball into left-center field, scoring two runs and putting Los Angeles ahead.
Pages’ hit was the Dodgers’ first of the series with runners in scoring position. Los Angeles had gone hitless in its first 19 opportunities but still found enough offense to eliminate Atlanta.
Max Muncy added his 19th career postseason home run, and the Dodgers’ pitching staff held the Braves to one run. Los Angeles has now won five consecutive postseason road games.
Brewers Finish Off Padres
Milwaukee defeated San Diego 3-1, closing out the NLDS in four games and securing a rematch with the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Garrett Mitchell was central to nearly everything Milwaukee accomplished. He drove in the game’s first run with a third-inning single, tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth, and made the game’s biggest defensive play in the eighth.
With Fernando Tatis Jr. on base, Manny Machado drove a ball toward the right-center-field wall that appeared capable of tying the game. Mitchell reached over the fence and brought it back, denying Machado a home run and preserving Milwaukee’s lead.
Jackson Chourio drove Mitchell home in the fifth, and Sal Frelick added a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Tatis supplied San Diego’s only run with a solo homer.
The Brewers also ended a 12-game postseason road losing streak.
Guardians Keep Their Season Alive
Cleveland avoided elimination with a 9-3 win over the White Sox at Rate Field, cutting Chicago’s series lead to 2-1.
The White Sox scored first, but the Guardians answered with four runs in the third inning. Jo Adell delivered the decisive blow, clearing the bases with a triple after Chicago’s pitching staff issued three walks during the inning.
José Ramírez added a two-run triple in the eighth to help put the game away. Cleveland’s seven pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts, establishing a postseason record for a nine-inning game.
Chicago’s pitchers walked 10 batters. The White Sox remain one victory away from advancing, but their opportunity to earn their first postseason series-clinching victory at home since 1906 was postponed for at least one night.
Where the Postseason Stands
The Dodgers and Brewers will meet in the NLCS, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
The Rays have advanced to the ALCS and await the winner of the White Sox–Guardians series.
Chicago leads Cleveland 2-1 entering Game 4 tonight at Rate Field. The game begins at 7 p.m. CT and will air on TBS, truTV, and UniMás, with streaming available on HBO Max. Parker Messick is scheduled to start for Cleveland, while the White Sox plan to use Hagen Smith as an opener.
A Chicago victory would complete the League Championship Series field. A Cleveland win would force a decisive Game 5 on Saturday in Cleveland.
