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White Sox Sweep Astros in AL Wild Card Series
Confirmed
In Short: The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series, marking their first playoff series win since 2005.
The Chicago White Sox secured a 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday, completing a sweep.
In the first inning alone, the White Sox scored four runs, setting the tone for the game.
Chase Meidroth's three-run homer was a pivotal moment, helping the White Sox maintain their lead despite the Astros clawing back with solo home runs from Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve.
The Astros, who entered the series as favorites, struggled with their pitching, allowing the White Sox to capitalize on early momentum.
The White Sox's win marks the first playoff series victory for the team since their World Series win in 2005.
Under the leadership of second-year skipper Will Venable, the White Sox have made a remarkable turnaround, advancing to face the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series.
The White Sox's playoff appearance is particularly noteworthy given their recent history of losing over 100 games in each of the past three seasons.
The Astros, who went 81-81 this season, became the first team to reach the postseason without a winning record, but their playoff woes continued with their ninth straight home playoff loss.
What this adds
Houston's pitching struggles were evident, with the team unable to capitalize on their home-field advantage despite being favored in the series.
What's confirmed
- HOUSTON — The Chicago White Sox lead, which at one time stood at four runs, was down to one in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the American League wild-card series against the Houston Astros.
- Chicago pounced on the Astros for four runs in the first inning a day after scoring three in the first two innings of a 6-3 win.
- He was 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox before Wednesday's debacle.
- HOUSTON -- The Chicago White Sox used a big first inning and a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth to propel them to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday to sweep their American League Wild Card Series.
- It's the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005.
- Under the direction of second-year skipper Will Venable and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
- The White Sox, who lost 100 games in each of the past three seasons, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth.
- The AL West-winning Astros went 81-81 to become the first team to reach the postseason without a winning record.
- Their recent playoff woes in Houston continued Wednesday as they dropped their ninth straight home playoff game in a ninth trip to the postseason in the past 10 years.
- The Astros clawed their way back into it with solo home runs from Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve to trail by 1 entering the sixth inning.
What's still developing
- The Astros entered Tuesday's matchup as 1.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but were unable to capitalize on their home-field advantage.
- Houston's pitching struggles continued to hurt the Astros, as a wild pitch in the seventh inning allowed Chicago's Murakami to score from third.
- MLB.com has released the complete playoff schedule, including dates and information on where to watch each game.
- A rocky first inning from the Astros' pitching staff helped the White Sox jump out to an early 1-0 lead, with Murakami delivering a sacrifice fly to bring home Sam Antonacci for the game's first run.
- Nelson Velazquez provided a much-needed spark for Houston in Game 1, launching a two-run homer in the fifth inning to finally put the Astros on the scoreboard and cut the White Sox's lead to 5-2.