The Chicago White Sox didn’t make the playoffs. They were way out of it for almost the entire season and ended up being one of the worst teams in the league. Nobody expected them to be this bad but they have a long way to go now if they want to become competitive again.
One team that the White Sox can try to imitate is the team that eliminated them in their last postseason appearance. That would be the Houston Astros who also happen to be the defending World Series champions.
Right now, the Astros are battling the Minnesota Twins who won the AL Central this year. They just completed game one of this ALDS series and won it by a final score of 6-4. They had a bye in the first round as the AL’s second seed so this was their first game of the postseason and it went very well for them.
Of course, Houston has a very familiar face playing for them as Jose Abreu signed there last winter. As you know, Abreu is one of the greatest players in Chicago White Sox history. Seeing him there isn’t all that great when you think about how his career has gone but it is nice for him on a personal level.
Jose Abreu’s Houston Astros are way better than the Chicago White Sox.
This first game was a roller coaster. The Astros looked like they were going to dominate the game as they got out to a 5-0 lead. The Minnesota Twins gave them a scare later in the game though and they got to within one. Eventually, Yordon Alvarez hit his second home run of the game and made it a 6-4 game which obviously held.
Abreu played well as he went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI hit. After not having the best regular season of all time, he got off to a good start in the playoffs. Ultimately, that is all the Houston Astros organization cares about the most. Unlike certain franchises, they live up to that standard.
Of course, Abreu wasn’t the only player who played well in this one. You already heard about the two Alvarez homers but there were more. Jose Altuve took the first pitch he saw and blasted it over the fence for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. He is truly one of the greatest postseason performers who ever lived.
Justin Verlander started the game for the Astros and he was brilliant as usual in the playoffs. He went 6.0 innings and didn’t give up a single run. He allowed four hits and walked three but stuck out six. He didn’t have the best stuff he’s ever had but he was effective in keeping the Twins off the board.
Hector Neris is the pitcher that gave up the four runs for the Twins but the rest of the Astros bullpen got it done. The Twins put up a fight but Jose Abreu’s team shut them down. It will be interesting to see how they do as the series moves along. Game one was a great start.