The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on October 8, 2026, tying the series at 2-2 and forcing a Game 5 in Cleveland. Before that game, discussion centered on manager usage: Cade Smith threw 19 pitches over two innings the day before he was used again in the eighth, and Gavin Williams, who closed Game 4 out of the bullpen, was lined up to start the decider. Williams then threw five and two-thirds no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts in Game 5, and the workload argument is now being revisited in that light.