Guardians' Game 5 Pitching Plan in Chaos After Williams' Emergency Relief Cameo

Cleveland walked into Thursday's must-win Game 4 with a clean script: rookie Parker Messick would eat enough innings to keep Gavin Williams fresh for a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Cleveland. That script barely survived the third inning. Messick walked four over three shaky frames as the White Sox grabbed the lead, and manager Stephen Vogt was forced to burn through eight pitchers just to get through the 9-5 win that kept the Guardians alive. The biggest casualty was the original Game 5 plan itself. With the game slipping away, Vogt turned to Williams — scheduled to start Saturday — for the final three outs, marking the first relief appearance of his career. He needed 18 pitches after throwing 98 in his Game 2 start on Monday. Williams led the American League with 248 strikeouts this season and is still the most likely choice for Saturday night's 8 p.m. ET showdown at Progressive Field, but his availability and length are now genuine question marks. Chicago has its own problem: a bullpen that was the surprise of the postseason suddenly looks exhausted after Grant Taylor imploded without retiring a batter in the sixth. The winner heads to Tampa Bay to open the ALCS on Monday. Saturday will be about whoever has anything left.