2005 World Series

From BR Bullpen

2005 World Series
4	-	2
Chicago White Sox		Houston Astros
99-63 in the American League		89-73 in the National League

2005 MLB Postseason
LG	Division Series	League Champ.	World Series
AL	LAA - NYY	CHI - LAA	CHI - HOU
AL	CHW - BOS	CHI - LAA

NL	STL - SD	STL - HOU
NL	ATL - HOU	STL - HOU
<< 2004		2006 >>

"With the birth of my kids, I think this is the most wonderful day of my life".--Ozzie Guillen, game four postgame interview.

[edit] Overview

The 2005 World Series showcased two of baseball's finer pitching staffs, the perfect way to usher out the age of home run mashing offenses. The Astros rotation was led by a trio of aces: future hall of famer Roger Clemens, World Series veteran Andy Pettitte, and 20 game winner Roy Oswalt. Brandon Backe was the Astros fourth starter. The White Sox rotation did not have the same name value, but was just as effective. In the ALCS, the White Sox tossed four consecutive complete games--the first time such a feat had been accomplished in the postseason since 1956. Mark Buehrle was the lone lefty of the group, while Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland were the right-handers.

The series had a number of story lines. The White Sox were attempting to win their first World Series since 1917. The Astros were appearing in their first World Series ever. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's outspoken nature made headlines all season, now he was hunting to bring home a trophy in just his second season on the job. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell were searching for the first rings in their storied existence as the "Killer B's", while an injured Frank Thomas could only watch from the bench as his teammates looked to secure the first championship of his record breaking career. Every night, lights in buildings across Chicago were turned on in patterns that spelled "Go Sox". The team succeeded in bringing an old baseball city what it deserved.

[edit] The Teams

[edit] White Sox

Manager: Ozzie Guillen

The White Sox, after finishing the season with the best record in the American League, swept the Boston Red Sox 3 - 0 in the Division Series. They then defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4 - 1 in the ALCS. The pitching staff carried the team all season long, and continued to do so in the playoffs. Contreras was one of the league's top pitchers in the second half, while Buehrle, Garcia, and Garland all posted double digit wins and sub-4.00 ERA's. Bobby Jenks emerged as the White Sox closer after Dustin Hermanson suffered a back injury.

The offense was not the club's strength, but the White Sox were capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Scott Podsednik was the team leader in average and stolen bases. Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and Carl Everett provided power in the heart of the order. Joe Crede and Aaron Rowand were capable hitters and second to none on defense.

[edit] Astros

Manager: Phil Garner

Having dispatched of the Atlanta Braves in an exciting, 18-inning fourth game of the NLDS, the Houston Astros won Game 6 of their Championship Series against St. Louis in a rematch of the 2004 NLCS, sending the franchise to its first World Series. Biggio and Bagwell were still the face of the franchise, but Morgan Ensberg and Lance Berkman were the team's heavy hitters. Willy Taveras was the Astros speedster.

Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt, and Backe formed an excellent rotation. Clemens owned a 1.87 ERA in 32 starts, while Pettitte and Oswalt posted 2.39 and 2.94 respectively. Backe had a more human 10-8 record with a 4.76 ERA. Ironically, he would have the best World Series start of the quartet. Brad Lidge was an upper echelon closer, but surrendered a mammoth home run to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS.

[edit] Results

[edit] Game 1 @ U.S. Cellular Field

Sat, Oct 22 – Chicago, IL - 7:30 pm EDT FOX

White Sox: 5, Astros: 3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Astros	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	1
White Sox	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	-	5	10	0
WP: Contreras (1-0), LP: Rodriguez (0-1), SV: Bobby Jenks (1)

Attendance: 41,206

Two hard throwing righties, Roger Clemens and Jose Contreras squared off in game one of the 2005 World Series. The pregame ceremony for the first World Series game in Chicago since 1959 featured a jet flyover and a large American flag that covered a good portion of the outfield. Contreras tossed a perfect first inning to get the series underway.

The White Sox scored first on a Jermaine Dye solo home run to right field against Clemens. The Astros came right back with an answer. Mike Lamb hit a home run of his own to even the game 1-1. The tie did not last long, as the White Sox scored two runs in the bottom of the second. Carl Everett started off the rally with a single. Aaron Rowand followed with another single, advancing Everett to third. An A.J. Pierzynski fielders choice scored Everett, and gave the Sox a 2-1 lead. Juan Uribe doubled to drive in Pierzynski. After two innings, Chicago held a 3-1 lead.

Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox prided themselves on "small ball", but the Astros gave the Sox a taste of their own medicine. A pair of singles gave Houston runners on first and second with one out in the third inning. Willy Taveras laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners over. Lance Berkman doubled in both runners, and the score was tied again.

Clemens left the game after just two innings with a bad hamstring. Wandy Rodriguez replaced him on the hill and pitched 3.1 strong innings. His only costly mistake came in the fourth inning when he surrendered a home run to Joe Crede. Trailing 4-3 in the eighth inning, the Astros threatened to take away the White Sox lead. With runners on first and third, Neal Cotts struck out two consecutive batters. Bobby Jenks came in and struck out Jeff Bagwell to retire the side.

Scott Podsednik hit an RBI triple in the bottom of eighth, and Bobby Jenks pitched a perfect ninth to nail down a 5-3 win.

[edit] Game 2 @ U.S. Cellular Field

Sun, Oct 23 – Chicago, IL - 8:00 pm EDT FOX

White Sox: 7, Astros: 6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Astros	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	2	6	9	0
White Sox	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	7	12	0
WP: Cotts (1-0), LP: Lidge (0-1)

Attendance: 41,432

Fans in Chicago gathered on a cold and rainy Sunday night to watch the second World Series game played in Chicago since Eisenhower left the White House. The Astros attacked Mark Buehrle early, scoring on a Morgan Ensberg home run in the second inning. As they would so often during the series, the White Sox had an answer. Three consecutive singles off of Andy Pettitte in the bottom of the second plated the first run of the game for the Sox. A second run scored on a fielders choice later in the inning. The Astros tied the game at two in the third inning after Willy Taveras tripled and scored.

The Astros took their first lead of the World Series in the fifth inning. Brad Ausmus hit a lead off double, but Buehrle was able to retire the next two batter. When it looked like the Astros were going to squander the opportunity, Taveras hit a single and Lance Berkman doubled to give the 'stros a 4-2 lead.

The White Sox claimed a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning. Juan Uribe hit a one out double, Tadahito Iguchi walked, and Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitch. The Astros argued that the ball hit the knob of Dye's bat, but the White Sox right fielder was awarded first base. With the bases loaded and two outs, Paul Konerko smashed a pitch from Chad Qualls into the seats in left field for a grand slam.

The Astros scratched two runs off of Bobby Jenks in the ninth inning on a base hit by Jose Vizcaino to tie the game 6-6. Brad Lidge came out to pitch the bottom of the ninth for Houston. Lidge retired the first batter and faced Scott Podsednik. Scott Podsednik had just one home run up to that point in the season, it came in the division series against the Red Sox. Tim McCarver and Joe Buck discussed the possibility of Lidge's blown save in the NLCS leaving a "bad taste" in the closer's mouth. McCarver barely finished saying "I don't think that taste is there" when Podsednik pulled an offering from Lidge over the wall in right field to win the game.

[edit] Game 3 @ Minute Maid Park

Tue, Oct 25 – Houston, TX - 8:00 pm EDT FOX

White Sox: 7, Astros: 5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	R	H	E
White Sox	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	14	2
Astros	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	8	1
WP: Marte (1-0), LP: Astacio (0-1), SV: Buehrle (1)

Attendance: 42,848

Rumors swirled during the summer of 2005 that the White Sox were going to trade for a power bat. The deadline came and passed, the only player Kenny Williams acquired was Geoff Blum. The former Astro was little more than a utility man, but he would become an unlikely World Series hero in game three.

Craig Biggio singled and scored against Jon Garland to give the Astros a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Houston fans welcomed in the first ever World Series game played in the state of Texas. The Astros offense tacked on more support for Roy Oswalt in the third inning. Adam Everett was caught attempting to steal second base, but Juan Uribe botched the play, allowing Everett to return safely to first base. Biggio made the Sox pay, driving Everett home with an RBI single. A Morgan Ensberg single drove home Biggio and gave Houston a 3-0 lead. The Astros were not done. In the fourth inning, Jason Lane pounded a home run off of the outfield wall. According to the yellow home run line, the ball was actually in play. None the less, Lane was given the home run and Houston led Chicago 4-0.

Joe Crede came through in the clutch quite often for the White Sox during the postseason. He hit his second home run of the World Series in the top of the fifth inning. The White Sox then attacked Oswalt with a string of singles. First Uribe, then Scott Podsednik, followed by Tadahito Iguchi, and finally Jermaine Dye. The barrage brought in two more runs. A.J. Pierzynski drove in Iguchi and Dye with a double. The five run fifth inning made the score 5-4 in favor of Chicago.

Jason Lane stepped up again for the Astros in the eighth inning, this time delivering an RBI double that tied the game at 5-5. The Astros looked poised to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Three walks loaded the bases with two outs and Morgan Ensberg at the plate. Orlando Hernandez struck out Ensberg to send the game to extra innings.

The game quickly progressed to the 14th inning. Both teams were running short on relief pitchers. Ezequiel Astacio came into pitch for the Astros. He yielded a single to Dye, then got Paul Konerko to ground into a double play. Blum stepped to the plate and delivered solo blast into the stands in right field. The White Sox added another insurance run before heading to the bottom of the 14th. With runners on first and third with two outs, the White Sox brought in Mark Buehrle to record the one out save. He got the job done, securing a 7-5 White Sox winner.

[edit] Game 4 @ Minute Maid Park

Wed, Oct 26 – Houston, TX - 8:00 pm EDT FOX

White Sox: 1, Astros: 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	8	0
Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
WP: Garcia (1-0), LP: Lidge (0-2) SV: Jenks (2)

Attenance: 42,936

Brandon Backe was nothing more than an after thought in the talented Astros rotation. A young arm with promise, but nothing more. In game four of the World Series, the after thought nearly did what the three all-stars could not: beat the White Sox. In the end, timely hitting and base running delivered the south side of Chicago its first World Series title in 88 years.

The early portion of the game was a series of near misses. Lance Berkman doubled, but Freddy Garcia pitched out of it. Scott Podsednik hit a triple with two outs, but the Sox could not get him in. Neither team appeared terribly close to breaking the game open until the Astros loaded the bases in the sixth inning. A single and two walks packed the bases for Jason Lane, a near hero for the Astros in game three. Garcia struck out Lane to end the inning.

Brad Lidge looked to undo the demons of game two in the eighth inning. Willie Harris started off the inning with a single. Podsednik laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Harris to second. Everett grounded out, advancing Harris to third, and finally Jermaine Dye picked up a single to drive in the game's first run.

For the White Sox, the battle had just begun. The Astros put two men on with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cliff Politte got Ensberg to fly out, and Neal Cotts induced a ground out to end the inning. A.J. Pierzynski doubled in the top of the ninth, but the White Sox were unable to drive him in.

The bottom of the ninth was a series of thrills. Lane led off the inning with a single against Bobby Jenks. Brad Ausmus bunted Lane over to second base. Chris Burke hit a foul ball that drifted toward the stands. Juan Uribe gave chase and reached several rows into the seats to snag the foul. With two outs and Lane still on second, Orlando Palmeiro hit a chopper over Jenks that Uribe had to catch and fire to first. He did so with no time to spare. Palmeiro was out by a flash and the White Sox were World Series champions.

[edit] Series MVP

Jermaine Dye

MVP	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	R
Jermaine Dye	16	7	1	0	1	3	0	2	3

President George W. Bush greets the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox, including Jermaine Dye (left) and Paul Konerko (right)

[edit] Stats

[edit] Chicago White Sox

[edit] Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

[edit] Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

[edit] Houston Astros

[edit] Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

[edit] Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

[edit] Notes

White Sox win their first World Series since 1917.
White Sox outscored their opponent by only 6 runs, tying the record for fewest ever in a four game sweep. (The 1950 Yankees outscored the Phillies by only 6 runs.)
White Sox 11-1 record in postseason ties for the best ever (with 1999 Yankees) since divisional series play began in 1995.
The seats in U.S. Cellular Field were turned green before the 2007 season. Blue seats remain where Podsednik and Konerko hit their game 2 home runs.