Jose Ramirez firmly cements place in White Sox fans' nightmares by sparking Guardians' Game 4 surge

We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We can ride the left arm of Parker Messick, the relentlessly frenetic GuardsBall, and the rhythmically reliable bat of Jose Ramirez through a weakened American League to the promised land. Or we can lose both Games 1 and 2 at home in Cleveland, head on the road with Ramirez mired in a season-long, injury-marred slump, and watch Messick lose command and get knocked out before the fourth, opposed by a bullpen game.

The easy way might be more preservative of mass sanity, but damned if the hard way isn't more rewarding.

Less than 36 hours after being left for dead on the South Side of Chicago, with more ink spilled about which dignitary would be throwing out the first pitch at the White Sox's first home clinch since 1906 (spoiler alert: it was a random guy) than about the Guardians' chances of re-entering the series, this one is swinging back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all after all. In Game 3, it was Daniel Espino against the world to open the game, but amid a wall of noise, the Guardians limited the damage, surrendering just one run and creating a sense of unease about the thinness of the margin. Slowly, then swiftly, they pulled away.

In Game 4, the offense seemed one level more dead, and the White Sox felt firmly in control - with only a two-run lead - until the fifth inning, when Patrick Bailey went yard around the pole, then Ramirez shifted fate.

Jose Ramirez planted the seeds of doubt that sank White Sox vs. Guardians in Game 4

After Game 3, the rallying cry was, "Messick's coming. Who's pitching for you?"

After Game 4? It's, "J-Ram is alive, and now you're all in trouble."

History may forget that the White Sox loaded the bases in the proceeding half inning, tying the game on a doink off Sam Antonacci's backside, followed by a sacrifice fly to break the ice. Again, much like Game 3, that was not nearly enough.

The Guardians had been activated. First Anthony Kay, then Grant Taylor, could not record an out. The TBS announcers, by the way, noted that Will Venable "could not wait" to bring in Taylor, apparently a glutton for punishment. 5-4 became 7-4 became 9-4. Everybody hits. For the first time in far too long, but in familiar fashion, the Guardians had followed their leader, who not only looks healed, but is hitting well-placed heaters with velocity that most men can't touch a very long way.

He flipped the series back to where it belongs.. Sweet dreams, Chicago.

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