José Ramírez’s go-ahead, 99.9 mph homer puts Guardians ahead in ALDS Game 4

José Ramírez delivered Cleveland’s biggest swing of the night in the fifth inning of American League Division Series Game 4, drilling a go-ahead, two-run homer off Chicago White Sox reliever Jordan Hicks to put Cleveland in front 3-2. According to MLB’s Guardians game coverage, the drive came in an elimination-game spot and flipped the score at a critical moment.

The stakes were clear when the game began at Rate Field in Chicago. Cleveland entered trailing the best-of-five series 2-1, after winning Game 3 on Oct. 7 to avoid a sweep. That made Ramírez’s fifth-inning homer a season-extending jolt for a club trying to push the matchup deeper.

The pitch itself underscored the degree of difficulty. Hicks, one of the game’s hardest-throwing relievers, challenged Ramírez with a 99.9 mph four-seam fastball. Ramírez turned on it and sent the ball to right field, where it landed in the Guardians’ bullpen.

MLB’s coverage said it was the fastest pitch Ramírez has hit for a home run in his career. It also tied the fastest pitch a Cleveland player has hit for a postseason homer since pitch tracking began in 2008, matching the mark MLB credited to Brayan Rocchio. The swing added another milestone to Ramírez’s postseason résumé: It was his 43rd career playoff hit, tying Jim Thome for third in Cleveland franchise postseason history.

For Ramírez, 34, the moment also fit a broader October rebound. He underwent surgery on his left hamate in June, and parts of his regular season were described in contemporaneous coverage as less effective before his recent surge at the plate. In that context, punishing a 99.9 mph fastball in one of Cleveland’s highest-leverage spots of the year stood out not just as a turning point in Game 4, but as another sign that one of the franchise’s cornerstone players had found his swing at the right time.