Chicago White Sox: Three biggest unsung heroes in 2005
The Chicago White Sox were led but some studs in 2005. With that said, there were some unsung heroes that they absolutely needed.
The Chicago White Sox had their best season in franchise history in 2005. As we sit here and wait for baseball to come back after the global pandemic going on, we can look back at the good times to make us more excited for the future. That 2005 team reminds us of what the future could hold with their current group. Can Yoan Moncada step up and be clutch like Paul Konerko? Can Lucas Giolito recreate what Mark Buehrle did?
Well, it is nice to have stars producing at a high level. The thing that makes championship teams click, however, is the play of depth players. Every elite team in baseball is good beyond their Major League roster. You need to be deep as an organization in order to go on championship runs. You need an AAA team that can fulfill any needs as they become apparent throughout the 162 game grind. Then, when rosters expand, you need to be able to expand them with good players.
The White Sox were able to do that in 2005. They were good all year long which led to their 99-63 regular-season record. Then, their 11-1 record in the playoffs won them the World Series. Of course, the stars shined but there were definitely some role players that stepped up to go above and beyond. No group of five or so stars can carry a Major League squad to a championship. It is important to recognize the right role players to bring in each year. These are the three most unsung heroes from that magical run to the 2005 World Series:
128. . INF. Chicago White Sox. Geoff Blum. 1. player
The Chicago White Sox just seemed to have everything go their way in 2005. They started to slip in the standings but under the leadership of Ozzie Guillen, they stayed afloat. Then, once the playoffs rolled around, they were an unstoppable force. So many things happened to them that you would consider “lucky” but for the most part, you make your own luck in Major League Baseball.
Geoff Blum had the time of his life in 2005. He went from the San Diego Padres to the Chicago White Sox in the middle of the season. He played in a total of 31 games for Chicago in the second half of the season. He hit one home run and had 3 RBIs in 99 plate appearances to finish his season. He was an okay player at the MLB level at that point in his career but you wouldn’t consider him clutch or anything.
Well, Blum didn’t really play much in the 2005 postseason. When he did, however, he made it count. His first at-bat in the World Series, and only second in the playoffs, came in the 14th inning of game three. A road game for the White Sox tied at five late into the night, saw Blum hit a go-ahead home run. It would serve as the game-winner and the White Sox took a 3-0 series lead. He is clearly one of the biggest unsung heroes in the history of the franchise. His home run was an amazing moment.
. OF. Chicago White Sox. Scott Podsednik . 2. player. 128
Scott Podsednik was a little bit more than a role player for this team at times but he certainly wasn’t one of the superstars. If the term “glue guy” ever was to be used, Scott Podsednik fits the bill. He was a pretty good player that did a lot of nice things for the White Sox. He was a good outfielder and a pretty solid contact hitter for the top of the lineup. He was a very good leadoff hitter there for a while.
One thing Podsednik was known for was his ability to steal bases. He was so fast and brilliant on the base pads. In fact, in 2004 he led the entire Major Leagues with 70 stolen bases. Then, in 2005 he came in and had another 59. He hit .290, hit 0 home runs, and had only 25 RBIs. The fact that he had so many stolen bases and a great batting average but low power numbers showed he was the perfect leadoff man. He also had the only All-Star selection of his career that year along with getting some MVP votes.
Due to the fact that he had zero home runs in the regular season, you wouldn’t really expect many in the playoffs either. Well, he doubled his regular-season home run total once the postseason came around. He hit a home run in the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox for his first of the season. It was a 3-run shot that came in the sixth inning to put the White Sox up 12-2.
What came later for Podsednik made him a legendary clutch player in Chicago sports history. He hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the White Sox a 2-0 World Series lead. Giving the White Sox that 2-0 series lead going back to Houston really gave them the momentum they needed to carry it on the road. For a guy who hit no home runs in the regular season, he certainly came up big when it mattered most. He was truly one of the great unsung heroes of the 2005 postseason run.
128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Freddy Garcia. 3. player
The Chicago White Sox had loads of good pitching in 2005. They had the offense that complimented it well but the strength of the team, especially in the postseason, was pitching. They had four awesome starters go strong in those playoffs. Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Jon Garland were certainly awesome but one guy who went a bit under the radar was Freddy Garcia. He was a pivotal part of the White Sox rotation in that magical run.
He made three starts in the postseason. One came in each round and he went a remarkable 3-0 in those three starts. His win over the Boston Red Sox in the Division series came in game three to close it out. The White Sox won the game 5-3 to give Garcia his first postseason win in a White Sox uniform. Then he went out there and pitched a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to give the White Sox a 3-1 series lead.
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Then, his final start of the season came in the final game of the 2005 World Series. Garcia’s seven innings of shutout baseball eventually led to the White Sox holding onto a 1-0 win to sweep the Houston Astros and win their first World Series title in close to a century. Garcia and his 3-0 record in the playoffs were brilliant for the White Sox. He deserves to be remembered forever for how he played for this White Sox team. It was amazing to see this group come together to win it all and it was all thanks to the stars and role players alike.