The 2005 Chicago White Sox get a bum deal as far as legacies are concerned. When they ended their 87-year championship drought by sweeping the Astros, they did so on the heels of the Red Sox breaking their own curse in dramatic fashion just a year before. Not only were the ChiSox overshadowed preemptively by Boston, but their victory left the crosstown Cubs with the lone multi-generational curse, which instantly drew more attention than even the Sox’ victory. Needless to say, Southsiders have long had a much-deserved chip on their shoulder as the less-heralded of the two Chicago baseball clubs.
The 2005 White Sox deserved more attention than they got, but not just because of their own broken curse. Ozzie Guillen’s club accomplished an amazing feat just in getting to the World Series, one that we may never see again. After dropping game one of the ALCS to Vlad Guerrero Sr. and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the White Sox won the American League pennant behind four consecutive complete games.
There were zero complete games thrown in the 2019 playoffs. Not a one. There weren’t any in 2018 either. We got one in 2017 (Justin Verlander) and 3 in 2016 (though two of those were in losses where the starter only went 8 innings to get the CG). Not only did the 2005 White Sox rattle off eight straight wins to clinch the World Series, but after taking that game 1 loss (their only loss of the postseason), they strung together four straight complete games from this unlikely quartet: Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras.
It’s not impossible that we’ll see this kind of feat again. I mean, hey, Deacon Phillippe threw five complete games in a single postseason. For the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates. But as far as this century is concerned, Ozzie Guillen’s likely to hold the record for fewest pitching changes in a postseason series.
Speaking of Guillen, you gotta give the guy props for the trust he had in his starting staff. Not only did he ride his starters for all four wins, but not a one of them put up a shutout. There were trials. There were tribulations. But either Guillen forgot the extension for the bullpen phone, or he believed in his horses. It’s not as if this was all that long ago and complete games were a dime a dozen. The four thrown by the White Sox in the ALCS were the only complete games thrown that postseason. There was just one complete game thrown in the playoffs the year before and none the year after. This was a feat. If it were the Red Sox or the Cubs, we’d probably talk about it a lot more.
So let’s take a moment to appreciate the run.
In terms of all-time rotations, Buehrle/Garland/Garcia/Contreras wasn’t exactly Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz/Avery. But it was a solid group who put together a remarkable run. These four starters not only came together at the perfect time, but at the perfect time in their individual careers.
Buehrle had the best career of the four as the long-time ace of the Southsiders, but his chief abilities included otherworldly defense and durability. The soft-tossing lefty led the AL in innings pitched in both 2004 and 2005. He put up 200-inning seasons for 14 consecutive years, falling short of the line only twice: his rookie season when he made just 3 starts and totaled 51 1/3 innings, and his final season in the majors, when at age 36 he put up “just” 198 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays (while still leading the majors with four complete games). Buehrle only once cracked the top-5 in Cy Young voting, but he was the definition of a reliable workhorse, and in limiting the Angels to just 5 hits and no walks over a tidy 99 pitches, he set the tone for the 2005 White Sox. The Sox won game 2 behind Buehrle 2-1, and they wouldn’t look back.
Jon Garland struggled to stay healthy for much of his career, but he was peaking in 2005. The 25-year-old, hulking right-hander won 18 games that season with a 3.50 ERA, earning his lone All-Star appearance. He threw three complete game shutouts that season, but the amazing piece for Garland was that his game 3 complete game was his first-ever postseason appearance. Not only that, but he’d only have one more, as the game 3 starter in Houston for the World Series. Garland made the most of it, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 7. Paul Konerko capped off a three-run first inning with a two-run shot off John Lackey, and Garland took them the rest of the way, using 118 pitches to finish off a 5-2 victory and put the White Sox up 2-1. Garland would give the White Sox two more solid seasons in the rotation before they traded him to the Angels following 2007 for Orlando Cabrera. His run with the White Sox, particularly 2005, would easily go down as the highlight of Garland’s playing days.
The White Sox turned to Freddy Garcia in game 4, but they used the same script from the prior night. Konerko hit a 3-run homer off Ervin Santana in the first and the White Sox never trailed. Garcia had failed to capitalize on the tremendous potential he showed as a 24-year-old for the 2001 Mariners, and by 2005 his best years were already behind him. Still, the White Sox acquired him midseason the year before along with another one-time heralded prospect in Ben Davis for a package of Mike Morse, Miguel Olivo and Jeremy Reed. Garcia put up 3.9 bWAR in his first full season in Chicago, going 14-8 with a 3.87 ERA/4.06 FIP. He threw 228 innings in total, and it was probably his best season outside of Seattle.
His game 4 performance put the White Sox on the brink of the pennant, using 116 pitches while giving up 2 runs, 5 hits, and 1 walk. The Sox tacked on solo runs in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings, and the Angels never came closer than in the bottom of the second when Garcia surrendered a walk and made an error on an infield single. But with the tying run on first and runners on the corners, Garcia coaxed a double play off the bat of Steve Finley to end the threat. Garcia went the distance and the White Sox won 8-2.
After three straight complete games to put the White Sox up on the Angels 3-1, what really was Jose Contreras to do but go out and do the same? Like Garland, 2005 and 2006 was the pinnacle of Contreras’ stateside career. The Cuban import made his MLB debut as a 31-year-old with the Yankees in 2003, but they shipped him to the White Sox after 18 disappointing starts in 2004 for Esteban Loaiza. In 2005, the 33-year-old Contreras finally posted the type of season that was expected of him after coming over from Cuba. He went 15-7 with a 3.61 ERA/4.21 FIP, good for 3.6 bWAR (second only to the 3.8 bWAR he’d put up the following season).
In many ways, Contreras was the perfect guy to wrap up this incredible run. These outings weren’t the high velocity, high spin types of outings of the current era. Contreras, like the others before him, simply put the ball over the plate and let his defense do the work. He finished with 114 pitches, 3 earned runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. Only twice did he allow more than one baserunner in an inning, and 5 times he put together 1-2-3 innings (including the final 4 frames). The White Sox trailed 3-2 entering the 7th inning, but they’d tie it with a Joe Crede solo shot, then take the lead in the 8th when the Angels defense got sloppy. As for Contreras, after giving up the lead with those two runs in the sixth, he wouldn’t allow a baserunner the rest of the way.
The White Sox had some cushion in games 2-4, but there may have been cause for Guillen to let his starters go long. Dustin Hermanson (yes, Dustin Hermanson) saved 34 games for Chicago that year, but he was out of the role by the playoffs and would make just 6 more appearances in the majors. Bobby Jenks had taken over as closer in the playoffs, but he had just 6 saves and 32 appearances under his belt. Maybe Ozzie Guillen didn’t trust his bullpen, but either way, when Konerko and Aaron Roward each doubled home a run in the ninth, Guillen went back to Contreras to finish out the 6-3 victory and secure the White Sox’ first pennant since 1959. Amazingly, Guillen didn’t even have to lift a finger to do it.
i was 3 then so no
That explains your stupid comments all the time
Shut up
no u
Ok
TC Zencka, thank you for writing this article. I miss the heck out of baseball at the moment like many others do, and remaniscing on feats of old is at least somewhat healing.
Also, what a disappointing and embarrassing first comment thread.
thanks for the constructive criticism. should be useful for me going forward.
Whenever someone admits to being a teenager in a comment section, the old people see it as a weakness (are threatened by it?) and won’t let you live it down. I’ve seen it time and time again on different websites.. I recommend keeping it to yourself
I don’t think the older group feel threatened so much as temper their expectations towards the quality of response since the frame of reference of the “newbies” isn’t as broad. It’s like if whoever they’re talking to wasn’t alive during a specific era, the level of appreciation must not be the same.
I knew a guy who tried to make-up for sports knowledge that occurred prior to his fandom awareness by saying things like, “Dr. J was my favorite player. He was the best I have ever seen! He was Jordan before Jordan.” And I’m thinking, “Dude, you weren’t even alive when Dr. J was in his prime, let alone even playing.“
I get your point but I just see it as elitism. I don’t respect someone’s baseball opinion more because they’ve been watching for 30 years as opposed to a more intelligent person who has been watching for 5. I’d say that people younger than I are more openminded and take to analytics and statistics more easily than those who are older.
I’d go so far to say that most of the dumbas* posts on here are by people over 50. At least you can have a decent discussion with someone willing to learn and accept new ideas (I’m aware that my post is full of generalizations that do not apply to everyone and is based on my own experiences)
I’m not sure if your comment is more ironic, or hypocritical? Either way, your entire way of thinking is biased and closed minded.
You must be one of the dumbas*es over 50…
So you just insult my comment but offer no rebuttal. Intelligent and fun discourse we are having! I’m actually 32.
I can see how my comment comes off as hypocritical though. I’ll clarify: I feel that it is elitist to feel that someone needs to have x amount of baseball watching experience before you respect their opinion. I judge people and their opinion based on their merit. I followed it up by generalizing about my experience with older people
Whenever someone admits to being older in a comment section, the young people see it as a weakness (are threatened by it?) and won’t let you live it down.
For example, ok boomer.
It obviously goes both ways, deal with it.
Now your comments make sense
DarkSide I feel much better knowing you’re only 17. My advice would be to listen more. But all things considered you aren’t so bad for a 17 year old. I used to post on the old ESPN fantasy baseball boards back when I was that age. You‘ll learn!
South Siders is two words.
That team had something going for them.
The incident in Game 2 pretty much reinforced the idea they were going to win.
Even in the World Series they had huge breaks.
Despite some “huge breaks”, there was nothing flukey about the White Sox 2005 season. They finished the regular season with an AL leading 99 wins and were in first place from start to finish. They completed their magical season with an 11-1 playoff record including a 3-0 sweep of the defending champion Red Sox in the ALDS and a 4-0 whitewash of your Astros in the World Series including the last two in Minute Maid Park. They also accomplished this without the aid of video sign stealing and trash can banging!
Still the AL Central
But I never called it a fluke.
Said that the incident in Game 2 took the White Sox to another level. A level where they believed they were going to win and no one challenged this belief.
You have to take it from a team. Neither the Angels nor the Astros could
The 2005 AL Central was the only division in the American League to feature three teams with winning records including a strong Indians club that posted 93 victories, 6 games behind the 99 win White Sox. The Twins also had a pus record with 83 wins that season.
The central won the American League the two seasons after, how was it weak exactly?
AL Central is always horrible
Just how life is.
Don’t take any of the W/L serious
LousianaAstros is clearly trolling, no reason to waste any more breath on them
In 2006 the AL Central had three 90+ win teams including two playoff bound ones in the Twins (96) and the AL pennant winning Tigers (95) along with the White Sox (90).
In 2007, Cleveland tied Boston for most AL wins with 96 but fell to the World Series champ Red Sox in the ALCS.
Right because wind and losses don’t matter. Brilliant.
Wins
The 2017 Astros and 2005 Astros are two entirely different teams, so bringing up the cheating scandal when it has nothing to do with the 2005 world series and the Astros of that time is unnecessary.
Get these kids to learn, Jacob.
Okay Boomer
Whoooosh right over your head lindor.
Nothing goes over Lindor’s head. He is the 2019 AL GOLD GLOVE WINNER and also God.
Yea cause I’m sure
Game 1 starter Clemens
Game 2 starter pettite weren’t all jacked up on HGH
Exactly. 2005 season was magical. I am enjoying the rebroadcasts on TV.
Thank you, Cubbies, for Jon Garland!
I dunno, maybe “threw” is the not the best verb to use with “games” in a headline about the White Sox…lol
it’s been over 100 years. good grief.
So what if we are ahead by a century? Not like corruption in sport hasn’t been underlying games for all this time and usually undetected.
If that isn’t disappointing you, it’s getting me down.
Too soon? lol.
A different era, one in which some White Sox (8???) cheated to lose the World series in 1919 and not to win like the 2017 Astros and perhaps the 2018 Red Sox.
The 1919 “Black Sox” were a juggernaut that included three HOF players in C Ray Schalk, 2B Eddie Collins and SP Red Faber along with two other who would have been enshrined in Cooperstown if not banned including legendary hitting OF Shoeless Joe Jackson and knuckleball SP Eddie Cicotte. All 5 of these players also won the 1917 World Series for the White Sox, their last up until 2005.
also Garland did not have durability issues. he piched 32-34 games each year from 2002 to 2010.
Replay would have completely altered history here. Angels were robbed.
I don’t think the replay showed conclusively either way with regards to the pitch hitting the dirt.
Replay showed conclusively that Steve Finley bases loaded double play ground ball was catchers interference.
And as far as the Josh Paul play, that’s about as conclusive as it gets.
The umpires were awful that series.
Ump raised his fist and made the out call. Strike three. The out was complete. Play was over.
Yea everytime the Astros are in the World Series is because of cheating
There #1 and #2 pitchers to open the series were Clemens and pettite both on steroids
Therefore the Astros were robbed.
Have to give credit where it is due.
It isn’t the play itself it is what you do with it. Even though Ozzie is a lover of Communism have to give him credit.
That team played as if they had already won the WS from there on.
No, therefore the call on the field would have stood.
AJ Pierzynski was a baseball player.
Always enjoyed the way he played. AJ made that play happen.
The catcher threw the ball down. Wasn’t like he missed strike three.
The ump was at fault but AJ created something afterwards and the ump didn’t know what to do.
But prior to that Escobar was dealing. Was on him to get the next guy out. But he couldn’t.
Took the White Sox to another level and they won 7 straight games after that including these consecutive complete games.
Ump raised his fist and made the out call. Strike three. The out was complete. Play was over.
How were the Astros robbed? Because they couldn’t play that annoying bee noise non-stop during the game with the roof closed?
Yeah, maybe the Angels had some bad calls. But they fell apart at the end of Game 2. They still had 2 outs and only a runner at first. Then they sucked pretty much the entire time in Anaheim. It was a case of a team crumbling and not getting it back together.
The Astros had some calls go against them too in the 2005 WS, but they also seemed to find ways to lose. When they needed a big pitch or big hit, they rarely got it. I mean, Brad Lidge gave up a walk-off homer to SCOTT PODSEDNIK!!!
Let’s give credit where it is due…
Pujols damaged Lidge.
Think that ball still hasn’t been removed from the stadium
I didn’t have cable or satellite. I had rabbit ears trying to pickup fox6 out of Birmingham to watch it. Staying up late and getting up early for school the next day.
2005 Angels lineup had one difference between them, the 2005 Astros and today’s lineups as I watch Game 3 of the 2005 ALCS; only 1 player wore an arm guard and that was Benji Molina.
Take the arm padding off. More complete games, less TJ surgeries, quicker games, the best hitters will separate themselves from the pack, better overall baseball. Not too many careers ruined by a HBP to the arm but plenty of pitching careers ruined thanks to the arm guards.
Pedro’s career wasn’t ruined. You stepped in and you had a lot more to worry about than your arm. I think there were about 2 times in his career when he hit a batter by accident. You either take control or you’ve lost the war. Pedro took control. Bob Gibson. Don Drysdale. When you have impeccable command you can send messages very easily and they get read loud and clear. The problem with pitching is scouts sign guys with high velocity and no command. It’s like sprinting everywhere. You’re going to pull a hammy. You need guys who generate velocity effortlessly and have command over their pitches. The majors have been full of guys who pitch 200 innings year after year from a middle of the rotation but they don’t have the “stuff” that everybody is lusting after. We’ve lost our way.
Pedro also pitched before the umpires began to over-police baseball games. He would have probably been ejected and suspended from more games. I love Pedro, and I loved the way he pitched. But the policing and protecting hitters has to stop. All these allowances has escalated the destruction of the starting pitcher, and to some degree the bullpen arms. We aren’t far removed from 24-man rosters. Now we’re up to 26 and probably more in the near future. The number 1 difference on a physical level is the arm guard.
None of these people can point out all the career-ending hit by pitch on the arm yet.
It sounds like you yearn for those career ending hit by pitches –
Go down to a batting cage, crank it up to 98, then come back and lets talk
Please do not insult Bengie Molina by spelling his name like some dog.
Jesus Christ did the company that makes elbow pads kill your dog or something?
It’s so easy to rattle a little troll like you Monty. You need some real material but you aren’t that creative. Be better.
The classic troll move of preemptively calling someone else a troll.
I really hope you’re serious about the elbowguard though, it is one of the funniest and most random hills I’ve seen someone die on
+
Dude give it a rest already with your stupid asinine theory with the arm padding. Try selling crazy somewhere else, We’re all stocked up here.
Halo please tell me where to go so I can bring this asinine theory that you can’t refute or have the mental capacity to shoot down. Maybe baseball isn’t your sport.
Right around the time players started wearing arm guards the average penis size of a Major League Baseball player dropped .5 inches. Coincidence?? I think not!
This is something we need to look into. It could explain why so many pitchers need TJ!
Shrinkage! It’s because they all had to take ice baths in the trainer’s tub.
Or is it that that today’s pitchers have to throw harder because they’re self conscious about their tinier peckers? The world may never know!
When you keep hammering your theory about pitchers being afraid to throw inside because of hitters wearing elbow pads. It’s clear you never wore a batting helmet at the plate.
Great movie Halo!
Yes it was
It still annoys me that no one really acknowledges this feat the White Sox did when no one is gonna repeat this feat in at least the next 30 years.
Didn’t they only lose 1 game that postseason.
I believe they swept the Boston Red Sox as well.
Going 11-1 in the postseason is impressive as well.
Especially considering they played a lot of close games.
Regarding the CGs…
Angels were a free swinging team. You have to take that into consideration.
Wouldn’t have happened against the majority of other teams.
That’s baseball for you. Gotta get lucky to achieve a feat like this one. Although, you can say the same thing about a perfect game, you have to get lucky to get one of those.
All teams are free swinging now. So based on that it should be happening more…yet it isn’t. Hmmm.
At least 30 years.
Angels would have won this series if that dumb play at the end of game 2 was called correctly. Thank you instant replay for bringing baseball into the 21st cuentry.
Or if Escobar could have just gotten Joe Crede out…or if the Angels could have scored more than one run off Mark Buehrle. Or if they could have won a single game back in Anaheim.
Momentum is a thing and when a team gets the life sucked out of them it changes the whole series. There are countless examples of this in recent playoffs.
Momentum is overrated, at least in MLB. As the saying goes, momentum is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher.
I get what you’re saying, but keep in mind that same year, after Albert Pujols obliterated Brad Lidge’s hanging slider, Houston went out and won Game 6. Momentum changes.
Momentum swing or just getting beat by a hotter team? I can understand blaming the umpires for one game, but the next game, it becomes the players’ and manager’s fault if they lose, even from being deflated. Baseball at a championship level requires mental toughness as well, so if the Angels lost due to one call affecting the rest of the series, they still deserved to lose.
If, if and if…get over it!
You don’t know that. One win doesn’t change everything favoring the Angels.
Something we’ll simply never see again with how pitchers are micromanaged nowadays. One complete game is a pretty monster performance but 4 in a row? That team wasn’t the sexiest on paper but they certainly dominated like a team that was.
Esteban Loaiza aka the cocaine kingpin of Mexico!
Quite possibly the worst team to ever win a World Series.
The 2006 Cardinals existed.
2011 Cardinals as well.
They usually don’t win when they have their great to elite teams.
Usually it is their good teams
Explain to me how a 99-win team that was in first place wire-to-wire is remotely the worst WS team in history? If anything, it’s one of the most underrated teams in history.
You sir are just a biased White Sox hater. You know you think that’s impressive. Who wouldn’t? Probably won’t ever happen again.
they literally only lost 1 game the entire postseason…
goants, we get it. You’re a jealous Cubs fan. Considering the facts, your statement is just baseless, infantile, and dumb. The Sox pulled off one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the sport. And unlike the Cubs, the Sox didn’t depend on just one player (Aroldis Chapman) to get them into the WS and barely win it. And guess what? You’re going to watch US do it again real soon.
How many years since your boys, have had a .500 season? Looooonnggg rebuild and tank job.
Yea cause in 16 when you beat the Indians in 7
If Carrasco or Salazar are healthy lol you prob get swept just like the Mets series
Damn you aren’t afraid to show how dumb you are.
Who let the Cubs fan in the room?
Quite possibly one of the worst takes ever.
One of the most dominant postseason runs of all time on the heels of a 99 win season… You’d have a better argument if you said they were the most underrated team to ever win a World Series.
Apparently, Cubs fan Dogbone ‘liked’ the comment. Perhaps gocats is just a dumb baseball fan and not a Cubs fan at all. I didn’t see a reciprocal ‘like’ for the Dogbone comment. Dumb and bitter Cubs fans tend to stick together, not unlike those of every team including the White Sox.
The Cardinals are the worst team to ever win
Worth mentioning that in Game 1 of that series which the White Sox lost, Contreras pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up only 3 runs. In the 5-game series, the Sox used a grand total of 1 relief pitcher for 2/3 of an inning.
I mean, hey, Deacon Phillippe threw five complete games in a single postseason. For the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates.
But they lost the World Series 5 games to 3. The other team had some guy named Cy Young.
Former Black Soxs V.S The Future Trashtros
I membees
Remember seeing all those Cubs fans in the streets of Chicago celebrating with the likes of William Ligue Jr. and his son as if they thought they’d never win a series ever again.
That was probably the most dominate pitching performance prior to MadBums domination.
Cliff Lee
Until the Giants jumped on him he had Sandy Koufax numbers
These were arguably the 7 best World Series pitching performances: blog.sliderdomination.com/7-greatest-world-series-…
I have been alive for 6 of them and vividly remember the last 5. The one pitcher who most impressed me with his dominance was Bob Gibson as part three Cardinals World Series teams in 1964, 1967 and 1968.
Jim Lonborg in his first two games in the 1967 World Series was even better than Gibson. Until game 7 on two days rest. There’s only one Koufax.
Lonborg 18IP, 4H, 1 ER
Gibson 18IP, 11H, 1 ER
Yes. I remember.
It will never be duplicated.
I wasn’t even born when this happened.
The most heartbreaking thing about Buehrle falling short of 200 innings in his last year was that he had 198 going into his last career start, and he got pulled with 2 outs in the 1st.
He got rocked in that. Gave up like 8 runs.
Also, Jeremy Reed was the headliner in that García trade. He was the #2 overall prospect in baseball at the time.
I loved Mark Buehrle when I was a teen. He was no nonsense, pitched quickly, never got hurt, was husky as hell but had these inexplicable flares of grace haha. He is missed.
Clearly Mark Buehrle’s no-nonsense approach on the mound rubbed off on teammate Chris Sale when the latter debuted back in 2010. Sale was a relief pitcher for the White Sox in his first two seasons which also overlapped with Buehrle’s final two in Chicago. The former White Sox lefty aces were polar opposites in physical attributes and stuff but each threw strikes and never wasted time on the mound. Pitching coach Don Cooper also played a big role with each pitcher’s expeditiousness on the mound. If MLB had more pitchers like Buehrle and Sale perhaps there wouldn’t be all the fuss over pace of play and rule changes governing it
I’m a massive Buehrle fan too, really wish he stuck around a couple more years, he even threw a Maddux in his final season! He probably had something left in the tank!
The GOAT defensive SP too, along with a 5.1 career K/9 – love seeing guys have success while being against the grain or outside the “preferred formula” a lot of armchair pundits seem to take for granted as always being factual. Buehrle belongs in the HOF and he didn’t throw heat, wasn’t athletic-looking yet was pretty dominant over vast stretches of his career and was a lock for 200 IP every year.
This is what we talk about when we say “pitching is an art form, not a weightlifting contest”. Buerhle can be just as successful as any speed gun guy can, and his lack of injury history also points to the “pitching as art” narrative. Sucks knowing Nate Pearson is going to get TJ no matter what happens, pitching fast shouldn’t be a goal, painting the corners should be.
Buehrle the best!!
Only jersey I’ll ever own.
When referring to the ChiSox, the verb “threw” is an unfortunate choice when referring to playoff games (cf: 1919).
Rowand, not Roward
Thank you author Zencka for acknowledging the 2005 Chisox. They had a great year and finally won the World Series for the one and only time in my lifetime. I started following the Sox as a young boy in the 50s (Go-Go Sox). I’m thinking they could win another Series in the very near future if the young pitchers develop and the hitting prospects come through. We have an excellent array of young talent on this team.
I was at the last one. As an Angel fan it was *not* fun
Never usually one to be nit picky, but I don’t really think those 4 would be considered an “unlikely quartet” to accomplish this. Granted, none of them were aces, but they all threw a decent amount of CGs in their careers except for Contreras. Since none of them threw shutouts in those CGs in the World Series, it fits along even better with their careers; inning eaters that could give up some runs, but also give you a chance until the end, which is exactly what they did. I think it’s crazier that Ozzie Guillen had the balls to manage like this, than it is that they (the pitchers) actually did it.
Every White Sox fan I know considered Mark Buehrle the ace of their pitching staff from 2001-2011. He would have been the ace of some others in MLB as well. Buehrle earned 4 All-Star selections with the White Sox and an additional one with the Blue Jays in 2014. For those analytically inclined, Buehrle also racked up a 60.0 career bWar, 59.4 of which were exclusively as a starting pitcher from 2001-2015.
Ozzie had the folliwing choice each game – do I use my best pitcher (MB), my hottest pitcher (JC) , my winningest pitcher (JG), or my clutchest pitcher (FG)?
Awesome story TC. That was an incredible season for my favorite team that has long been overlooked.
I was 25. sad that we sucked after 2006
The 2008 season was a memorable one for White Sox fans, especially in how they managed to reach the playoffs down the stretch and against all odds, which climaxed with their exhilarating 1-0 ‘blackout’ victory over the Twins.
Hang in there pal! Better days are on the way, once we get through this COVID-19 outbreak. Pandemonia will replace pandemic on Chicago’s south side!
HA! Sox will always be 2nd behind the Cubs in Chicago and will always be under recognized everywhere else. Worthless franchise
Yawn
Be thankful this season has been cancelled.
Otherwise:
Cubs last place.
Sox WS Champs!
I wonder if Josh Paul’s career would have turned out different had the infamous call not happened. The Angels would have been up two to none, right?
The correct call would have sent game two to extra innings.
That Aj call changed everything. Had Angels won game 2, they’d be up 2-0 in Anaheim. Even in Anaheim they were robbed on calls
Greatest post season by a pitching staff ever. Period!
Exactly!
Thank you for a thoughtful and well-written story.
I think the Sox got Jenks as a Rule 5 claim from the Angels….and a player the Halos could have dropped from their 40 man roster instead……Josh Paul….hhhmmmm.
Jenks was waiver claim. He was used exclusively as a starter by Angels. Sox moved him to bullpen, and rest is history.
One of Ozzie’s managerial feats in 2005 was navigating two closer transitions (Takatsu/Hermanson and Hermanson/Jenks) almost seemlessly.
the White Sox got some incredible pitching that post season. i’m guessing an entire article could be written about El Duque’s bases loaded relief appearance against Boston.
TY for the article. nice to see some White Sox love!
Do i remember?! Thanks for writing this article. I tell people all the time this postseason run was not talked about enough. 1 loss and 4 CG’s in a row WILL NEVER happen again.