CLEVELAND -- The Chicago White Sox faded from the postseason with hardly any offense.
After winning the first two games of its best-of-five American League Division Series against theCleveland Guardians, Chicago struck out 21 times and managed just three hits in a 2-0 defeat Saturday night that advanced the Guardians to an AL Championship Series matchup against theTampa Bay Rays.
"We wanted it so bad, it hurts," Chicago catcher Kyle Teel said, shaking his head.
Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Sean Burke in the fourth inning, and the White Sox became the fourth team in major league history to lose a division series after winning the first two games on the road.
Chicago's 21 strikeouts were the most in a nine-inning postseason game and the most in any regular or postseason game since 1900.Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi struck out four times each and Teel and Chase Meidroth three times apiece.
"My intent was to win this game, win this series and fly to Tampa," Murakami said through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. "It's obviously disappointing. Losing this one, there is a lot to learn from it."
Chicago watched its season come to an end after becoming the first team to reach the p...