20 years ago today, back-to-back victories in Anaheim had the White Sox just one win away from advancing to the Fall Classic. The White Sox hadn’t been to a World Series since 1959, and hadn’t won one since 1917, and they turned to Jose Contreras to end the decades of misery. Additionally, three consecutive complete games by Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Freddy Garcia put the White Sox just one away from tying the record set by the 1927 Yankees for the most consecutive complete games in the postseason. The pitching matchup featured a rematch of Game 1, with Contreras facing off against Angels right-hander Paul Byrd. Byrd largely shut down the White Sox bats in the opener and was a large part of the Angels' series-opening victory.
Both starting pitchers got through a scoreless first, and the White Sox once again used small ball to their advantage in the second. Aaron Roward led off the inning with a double and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by A.J. Pierzynski. Joe Crede then produced a sacrifice fly to score the game’s first run. The Angels drew even in the bottom of the third, with Adam Kennedy’s base hit cashing in on a leadoff double by Juan Rivera and scoring the tying run. With the game still tied in the fifth, a double by Juan Uribe and a walk to Scott Podsednik put Paul Byrd on the ropes. After surrendering the go-ahead run on a double by Jermaine Dye, Byrd was removed from the game and the bullpen took over. The Angels battled back, however, as an RBI double and a sacrifice fly plated a pair in the bottom of the fifth, giving the Angels their first lead since Game 1.
White Sox bats work late heroics on this day in 2005
The White Sox trailed 3-2 into the seventh and would need some late offense to end the series in Game 5. Third-baseman Joe Crede came up clutch, leading off the seventh with a blast against Angels reliever Kelvim Escobar, and the game was tied. With two on and two out in the eighth, the Angels turned to All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez to face Crede in his next at bat. Once again, Crede won the battle, driving in the go-ahead run with a base hit and giving the White Sox a 4-3 lead. The offense continued to pour it on against Rodriguez in the ninth, scoring two more on a Paul Konerko double and a sacrifice fly by Aaron Rowand. The White Sox had a 6-3 lead and were just three outs away from advancing to the World Series.
Jose Contreras makes history
With a three-run cushion and a cruising starter, the White Sox let Jose Contreras come out for the ninth to finish the ball game. Contreras retired the side in order, and the White Sox celebrated on the field. Four consecutive complete games tied a postseason record and sent the White Sox to the World Series for the first time in nearly 50 years. Paul Konerko’s two homers and seven runs batted in earned him the ALCS MVP award for the first time in his career, and the American League’s victory in the All-Star Game meant the White Sox would have home-field advantage for the World Series.
With the NLCS still going, the White Sox would get several days off to head home and recharge before the opportunity to bring Chicago a World Series for the first time since 1917. Join us on October 22 as we recap 2005 World Series Game 1 from Chicago.