The White Sox face the Guardians in the ALDS, with start times set for the first two games and October baseball returning to Rate Field.
It’s officially October, and the Chicago White Sox are still dancing. With a sweep of the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series this week, the Sox won their first playoff series since 2005 and, in the words of Mike Vasil during his postgame locker room speech, brought playoff baseball back to Chicago.
The White Sox will head to Cleveland for the ALDS before returning home to play a postseason game at Rate Field for the first time since 2021.
Mark those calendars and buy those tickets, Sox fans. Soxtober is back, and the vibes aren’t going anywhere.
Before we dive into the matchup between the White Sox and Guardians, the keys to the series, and how Chicago can advance to the ALCS, let’s start by breaking down the schedule.
Confirmed ALDS Schedule
All times are Central.
- Game 1: Saturday, October 3, at noon in Cleveland
- Game 2: Monday, October 5, at 4 p.m. in Cleveland
- Game 3: Wednesday, October 7, time TBD in Chicago
- Game 4: Thursday, October 8, time TBD in Chicago*
- Game 5: Saturday, October 10, time TBD in Cleveland*
Games 4 and 5 will be played if necessary.
The series kicks off this Saturday in Cleveland, with first pitch scheduled for noon. The White Sox and Guardians get the early time slot, with all four Division Series matchups taking place that day.
On Monday, however, only the American League games will be played. The New York Yankees will be in Tampa Bay taking on the Rays. They’ll get the prime-time slot at 7 p.m., while Game 2 between the White Sox and Guardians begins at 4 p.m.
Start times for the rest of the series have yet to be announced, but we can probably read between the lines.
Game 3 will take place at Rate Field in Chicago, marking the first home playoff game for the White Sox since 2021. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, with the time still to be determined.
Four games are tentatively scheduled for that day, with both the American League and National League playing. Both NLDS matchups would be playing Game 4, while the American League series would be playing Game 3.
If one or both NLDS matchups end in a sweep, those Game 4s won’t be necessary, leaving fewer games competing for the top time slots.
If Wednesday ends up featuring all four playoff games, it seems likely that the White Sox and Guardians will once again get bumped into a daytime window.
If necessary, Game 4 of the ALDS will take place on Thursday, October 8. That would be another home game for the White Sox on a day with only two games scheduled, both American League matchups.
The question then becomes whether Major League Baseball will throw the White Sox a bone and allow them to host a prime-time game when another playoff game could be taking place at Yankee Stadium that same day.
Yankees-Rays is already getting priority for Game 2 on an AL-only day, even with the game being played in Tampa Bay. So a prime-time slot for the White Sox seems unlikely if both series are still going.
But the South Side of Chicago has proven to be an electric playoff atmosphere, especially at night. There’s at least an outside chance the league spreads the prime-time opportunities around.
If the Yankees and Rays don’t make it to Game 4, however, White Sox-Guardians would be the only game on Thursday’s schedule, making a prime-time slot the likely outcome.
Should there be a deciding Game 5, it would take place on Saturday, October 10, in Cleveland.
White Sox Pitching Plans
Pitching plans for the White Sox in Game 1 have yet to be announced. Davis Martin could be an option with extra rest, while right-hander Sean Burke is currently on track to start Game 2 of the ALDS on regular rest.
That said, the White Sox have taken an unconventional approach to their pitching plans up to this point. With two off days to rest his arms, Will Venable could certainly throw the kitchen sink at the Guardians right out of the gate.
