2005 World Series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The 2005 World Series, the 101st playing of Major League Baseball's championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros 4 games to 0 in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and their first since 1917.
Home field advantage was awarded to Chicago by virtue of the American League's 7-5 victory over the National League in the 2005 All-Star Game, played at Comerica Park in Detroit on July 12. The Astros were attempting to become the fourth consecutive wild card team to win the Series, following the Anaheim Angels (2002), Florida Marlins (2003) and Boston Red Sox (2004). Both teams were attempting to overcome decades of disappointment: the Astros were making their first Series appearance in forty-four years of play, while the White Sox waited exactly twice as long for a title, having last won the Series eighty-eight years earlier in 1917, and had not been in the Series since 1959.
Chicago manager Ozzie Guillén, a Venezuelan, became both the first manager born outside the United States, and the first Latino manager, to win the Series. The White Sox finished the season by winning 16 of their last 17 games, beginning in the last week of the regular season, and continuing through playoff series against the Red Sox and Angels – the last two AL teams to win the championship. The White Sox also became the second team – joining the 1999 New York Yankees – to go 11-1 in the postseason since the major leagues adopted a 3-level playoff format in 1994.
Managers: Ozzie Guillén (Chicago), Phil Garner (Houston)
Umpires: Joe West, Jeff Nelson, Jerry Layne, Derryl Cousins, Gary Cederstrom, Angel Hernandez
Series MVP: Jermaine Dye, Chicago
Television commentators (FOX): Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, with Chris Myers on the field reporting. (NOTE: Lou Piniella was supposed to join Buck and McCarver in the booth, but opted to stay at his home in Florida and wait out Hurricane Wilma.)
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Background
The White Sox had been a frustrated franchise for several years, posting the fourth-best winning percentage of any American League team from 1990-2004 with a mark of .527, behind only the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. Despite being relatively successful, the franchise had been relatively unsuccessful in either winning their division (winning only in 1993 and 2000, and leading when the 1994 strike occurred), or in then advancing beyond the opening playoff round. Even after posting the best record in the American League in 2005, they were perceived by some as a losing cause after a late season slump. The White Sox were in a similar position to the Red Sox one year earlier, having been in only one World Series since the 1919-20 Black Sox Scandal, and last winning the 1917 World Series. The Astros, who had never made a Series appearance since the franchise began play in 1962, followed their 2004 NLCS loss with a dismal start in 2005, beginning at 15-30 before turning their season around; they became the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to win the pennant after falling 15 games under .500.
In the AL Division Series, the White Sox disposed of the defending champion Red Sox in three straight games (a result many called surprising). The Los Angeles Angels had a rigorous postseason involving extensive travel, becoming the first team in history to play three playoff games in three different cities on three consecutive nights, but eventually advanced to the ALCS with a 5-3 Game 5 win over the Yankees. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres in a three-game sweep. The Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves and clinched a spot in the NLCS with a Game 4 thriller in which they rallied from a five-run deficit to win in the 18th inning, the longest playoff baseball game in history (in both time and innings).
The first game of the ALCS went to the Angels, despite their traveling woes. In Game 2, a controversial call gave the White Sox an extra opportunity to win the game in the 9th inning, swinging the momentum to the South Siders. Chicago swept the three games in Anaheim to advance to their first World Series since 1959. All four wins by White Sox pitchers were complete games.
In some ways, the Astros' recent history was very similar to that of the White Sox. Between 1990 and 2004, they posted a .525 winning percentage, third in the National League behind the Braves and San Francisco Giants; but despite stringing together many successful seasons, the franchise had been unable to advance to the World Series. Both teams relied heavily on starting pitching, and had had their share of troubles over the year scoring runs in key situations. Perhaps the key difference between the clubs was in the veteran nature of the Astros (Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio being the two longest-serving teammates in the major leagues as of 2005), while the White Sox had fewer players with long playing careers, especially in Chicago.
The Astros defeated the Cardinals in the NLCS in six games, clinching their first pennant with a 5-1 win on October 19. Never before had a major league team taken so long (44 years) before earning its first World Series appearance. The Astros also became the first team since the Braves in 1991 to win the NLCS after losing Game 1.
Results
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Game 1, October 22U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois The White Sox took an early lead with a home run from Jermaine Dye in the first inning. The Astros evened the score in the top of the second frame when Mike Lamb hit a home run of his own. The Sox scored two more in the bottom half when Juan Uribe doubled in A.J. Pierzynski and Carl Everett. The Astros responded again in the next inning when Lance Berkman hit a double, driving in Adam Everett and Craig Biggio. In the White Sox half of the fourth, Joe Crede hit what turned out to be the game winning home run. In the bottom of the eighth, Scott Podsednik hit a triple with Pierzynski on second. Roger Clemens recorded his shortest World Series start, leaving after the second inning with 53 pitches including 35 for strikes, due to a sore hamstring that he had previously injured (and caused him to miss his last regular season start) as the loss went to Wandy Rodríguez. José Contreras pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits for the win, and Bobby Jenks earned the save to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the series.
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Game 2, October 23U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois Morgan Ensberg's first-pitch home run off starter Mark Buehrle put the Astros on top in the second inning. The White Sox answered in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own off Andy Pettitte. Lance Berkman drove in three runs in the game, two of them on a go-ahead double in the top of the fifth. In the seventh inning, Dan Wheeler loaded the bases with a double to Juan Uribe, a walk to Tadahito Iguchi, and home plate umpire Jeff Nelson's ruling that Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitched ball. The ruling was clearly incorrect upon viewing the replay, which showed that the pitch grazed Dye's bat. The Astros brought in Chad Qualls, who promptly served up a grand slam to Paul Konerko on the very first pitch he threw, the eighteenth grand slam in the annals of the Fall Classic. In the top of the ninth, White Sox closer Bobby Jenks blew the save when he gave up a two-run game-tying pinch hit single to José Vizcaíno. In the bottom half of the ninth, Astros closer Brad Lidge gave up a one-out walk-off home run — the fourteenth in Series history — to Scott Podsednik, giving Lidge his second loss in as many post-season appearances (his previous appearence was in Game 5 of 2005 National League Championship Series). The Series moved to Houston with the White Sox leading 2-0.
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Game 3, October 25Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas Before Game 3, it was ruled by Commissioner Bud Selig that the retractable roof would be open at Minute Maid Park for all three games (had they been needed), weather permitting. The Astros objected, citing that their record in games with the roof open was worse than with the retractable roof closed. Selig's office claimed that the ruling was based on the rules established by Houston and were consistent with how the Astros organization treated the situation all year long, as well as the weather forecasts for that period of time. In the game – the longest World Series game in length of time (five hours and forty-one minutes) and tied for the longest in number of innings (fourteen, tied with Game 2 of the 1916 World Series) – Lance Berkman singled with one out after a Craig Biggio lead-off double in the bottom of the first as the Astros struck early. The White Sox had a rally snuffed in the top of the second inning; after Paul Konerko hit a lead-off double and A.J. Pierzynski walked, Aaron Rowand hit into a line-drive double play. Adam Everett caught the ball and then doubled Konerko off second by flipping the ball to Biggio, who stepped on the bag. Houston scored in the bottom of the third when Everett led off with a walk. Everett got caught in a rundown and got hit by the ball on a Juan Uribe throwing error that hit Everett. A Roy Oswalt sacrifice bunt and a Biggio single sent Everett home. Berkman singled again with two out, sending Biggio to third. Then Morgan Ensberg singled Biggio home for the third run of the game. Jason Lane led off the Astros' fourth with a home run to left-center field. It was later shown in replays that the ball should not have been ruled a home run, hitting the left side of the yellow line on the unusual wall in left-center field. The White Sox rallied in the top of the fifth, true to their "Win Or Die Trying" mantra of 2005, starting with a Joe Crede lead-off homer. Uribe, on first after hitting a single, scored on a Tadahito Iguchi base hit with one out, followed by Scott Podsednik coming home on a duck-snort single by Jermaine Dye. Pierzynski hit a two-out double to Tal's Hill, driving in two runs, scoring Iguchi and Dye giving the White Sox the lead. The Astros rallied in the last of the eighth with two outs when Lane's double scored Ensberg with the tying run after back-to-back walks by Ensberg and Mike Lamb, giving Dustin Hermanson a blown save. Houston tried to rally to win in the ninth, but stranded Chris Burke at third, after he had walked, reached second on an error and stolen third. The Astros tried again in the tenth as well as in the eleventh, but failed each time. In the top of the fourteenth, after the Sox hit into a spectacular double play started by Ensberg, Geoff Blum (a former Astro) homered to right with two outs off Ezequiel Astacio. After two infield singles by Rowand and Crede that went a total of 150 feet according to McCarver, Uribe walked, and then Chris Widger walked thanks to Astacio's sudden wildness. The Astros tried to rally with the tying runs on first and third, but Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle earned the save for winning pitcher Dámaso Marte when Everett popped out, bringing the White Sox one game closer to their first World Championship in eighty-eight years. Buehrle became the first pitcher ever to start a game in the Series, and save the next one. There were many records set or tied in the game besides time and innings: The teams combined to use seventeen pitchers (nine for the White Sox, eight for the Astros), throwing a total of 482 pitches, and walking twenty-one batters combined (a dozen by Chicago, nine by Houston); forty-three players were used (the White Sox used twenty-two and the Astros used twenty-one), and thirty men were left on base (fifteen for each team), all new high-water marks in their categories in Fall Classic history. Scott Podsednik set a new all-time record with eight official-at-bats in this game. One record that was tied was most double plays turned, with six (four by the Astros, two by the White Sox).
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Game 4, October 26Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas Before the game, Major League Baseball unveiled its Latino Legends Team. The fourth game was the pitchers' duel that had been promised throughout the series. Both Houston starter Brandon Backe and Chicago starter Freddy Garcia put zeros on the scoreboard through seven innings, the longest since Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Scott Podsednik has a two-out triple in the top of the third, but Tadahito Iguchi grounded out to second, thus snuffing that threat. The Astros had the best chance of scoring in the sixth, but Jason Lane struck out with the bases loaded to end that rally. The White Sox had a chance in the top of the seventh with runners at second and third and two out, but shortstop Juan Uribe struck out to snuff the rally. The White Sox were able to break through in the next inning against embattled Houston closer Brad Lidge. Willie Harris hit a pinch-hit single. Podsednik moved Harris to second with a sacrifice bunt. Carl Everett pinch-hit for Iguchi and grounded out to the right side to allow Harris to move over to third. Jermaine Dye, the Most Valuable Player of the series, had the game-winning single, driving in Harris. Things got a little sticky for the Sox in the Astros half of the eighth when reliever Cliff Politte hit Willy Taveras, threw a wild pitch, sending Taveras to second, and walked Lance Berkman. After Morgan Ensberg flew out to center, ChiSox manager Ozzie Guillén brought in Neal Cotts to finish the inning. Cotts induced pinch-hitter José Vizcaíno into a ground out to Uribe. Bobby Jenks, the 24-year-old fireballer, started the ninth inning. He allowed a single to Jason Lane and a sacrifice bunt to Brad Ausmus. Chris Burke came in to pinch-hit; he fouled one off to the left side, but Uribe made an amazing catch in the stands to retire Burke. The game ended when Orlando Palmeiro grounded to Uribe. It was a bang-bang play as Paul Konerko caught the ball from Uribe at 11:01 PM CDT to begin the biggest celebration in Chicago since the sixth NBA championship by the Bulls in 1998, and end the second-longest period without a World Series title (the cross-town Chicago Cubs still own the longest such streak, as they have not won it since 1908). The 1-0 shutout was the first 1-run game to end a World Series since the 1995 World Series, in which Game 6 was won by the Atlanta Braves over the Cleveland Indians, and the first 1-0 game in any Series game since Game 5 of the 1996 World Series when the New York Yankees shut out the Braves in the last game ever played at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.
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Trivia
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External links
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