20 years ago today, the 2005 American League Championship Series headed out west. The White Sox and Angels got set for Game 3 in Anaheim with the series tied 1-1 thanks to some late-inning magic by the White Sox in Game 2. Jon Garland took the mound for the White Sox for his first start of the playoffs following a regular season that saw him win 18 games and make the All-Star team. Garland would have the tall task of following Mark Buehrle’s complete-game victory in Game 2, but he was certainly up for the challenge. For the Angels, 26-year-old John Lackey got the ball on the heels of a breakout season. Both teams knew the importance of the situation and the advantage earned by taking a 2-1 series lead.
The first inning didn’t go as planned for Lackey. Scott Podsednik led off with a single and was quickly bunted over by Tadahito Iguchi. Jermaine Dye followed with a run-scoring double and the White Sox had the lead just three batters into the game. Paul Konerko kept the momentum going with a two-run blast, and before the fans had even settled in, it was 3-0 White Sox.
The White Sox offense didn’t relent against Lackey. A leadoff single by Iguchi in the third came around to score on a Carl Everett double, and Iguchi got another on the board in the fifth, doubling and scoring on a base hit by Paul Konerko.
Overall, it was an uncharacteristically rough outing for Lackey, who left after five innings having surrendered five earned runs. Garland, meanwhile, was cruising, and the White Sox took a 5-0 lead into the sixth. The first hiccup for the White Sox righty came in the bottom of the sixth with the Angels desperately trying to claw back into the ballgame. Adam Kennedy reached base on a one-out single, and with two outs, Orlando Cabrera took Garland deep to get the Angels on the board. Garland escaped with no further trouble, and the White Sox led 5-2 after six.
Jon Garland's stellar performance kept the White Sox momentum going
The Angels bullpen did a great job of quieting the White Sox bats down the stretch, but the Angels just couldn’t manage to get anything going off of Garland, who retired the final ten Angels hitters in order to seal the 5-2 win and the second straight complete game by the White Sox starters. Garland allowed just four hits and struck out seven Angels hitters. It took 118 pitches to finish the ball game, but Garland’s All-Star season continued and the White Sox took the advantage in the series.
With two more to play in Anaheim, the White Sox needed two more wins to earn a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1959, and they’d look to keep the momentum going the next night with Freddy Garcia taking the hill. Tune in tomorrow as we recap 2005 ALCS Game 4.