20 years ago today, the White Sox arrived for ALCS Game 2 knowing the gravity of the situation. A Game 1 loss at home at the hands of a tired Angels squad created a must-win energy for Game 2 as the team tried to avoid going down 0-2 on their turf. The White Sox turned to their stopper, Mark Buehrle, to try to turn the tides in Game 2. For the Angels, the 30 year-old veteran Jarrod Washburn took the ball on the heels one of his career-best seasons.
The White Sox used small ball and a bit of good fortune to their advantage in the first inning. After a 1-2-3 first inning from Buehrle, Scott Podsednik led off for the White Sox with a comebacker. Washburn fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw was wide of first base and into right field, allowing Podsednik to advance to second. A sacrifice bunt by Tadahito Iguchi advanced Podsednik to third, and a Jermaine Dye groundout got him home, manufacturing a run for the White Sox and giving them a 1-0 first inning lead.
It was smooth sailing for both pitchers after the first inning, and the game turned into quite the pitcher’s duel. Buehlre didn’t allow his first hit until a one-out double by Orlando Cabrera in the fourth, and he was able to quickly escape the jam on groundouts by Vladimir Guerrero and Garrett Anderson.
The Angels were finally able to answer back on a solo shot by third baseman Robb Quinlan in the fifth, and the game was tied 1-1. The White Sox loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, and knocked Washburn from the game, but the Angels bullpen escaped the jam and picked up where Washburn left off, retiring the White Sox easily in the 6th, 7th, and 8th.
A little 9th inning magic for the White Sox
The always-efficient Mark Buehrle continued his dominance all the way through the 9th inning, completing the full nine innings on just 99 pitches. Unfortunately, with Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar retiring the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth, the game seemed to be heading to extra innings. White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski came up with two outs and the bases empty and worked a full count before chasing a splitter down for strike three. As Angels catcher Josh Paul rolled the ball back to the mound and the Angels jogged off the field, Pierzynski recognized the fact that he’d never been called out by the home plate umpire. Pierzynski dropped the bat and began to run to first base, where he was called safe by the umpiring crew.
Despite the replay showing the ball being caught on the fly by Paul, the umpire’s ruling was that the ball hit the ground and Pierzynski was awarded first base. 2005 was long before the days of replay reviews, so the Angels were unable to change the call, and the inning continued.
Ozzie Guillen removed Pierzynski for a pinch runner, sending speedy outfielder Pablo Ozuna to run at first base. Ozuna quckly stole second, putting him in scoring position for Joe Crede. Crede fell behind 0-2, but got a pitch he liked and ripped it into the left-field corner, scoring Ozuna and giving the White Sox a 2-1 victory in Game 2.
The White Sox got the job done in a must-win Game 2 behind a heads-up play by Pierzynski, and a clutch hit from Crede. Now it was time to hit the road and head to Anaheim for Game 3. 2005 All-Star Jon Garland would get the ball for the White Sox as they looked to take the advantage in the series. Join us as we recap Game 3 on October 14th.