The 2005 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2005
American League playoffs, which determined the 2005 American League champion, matched the Central Division champion
Chicago White Sox against the West Division champion
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The White Sox, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The White Sox won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and faced the
Houston Astros in the
2005 World Series, in which the White Sox swept the Astros in four games to win their first World Series championship in
88 years; as a result of the
2005 All-Star Game played in Detroit, Michigan at
Comerica Park on July 12, the White Sox had home-field advantage in the World Series. The series was notable both for a controversial call in Game 2 of the series, and the outstanding pitching and durability of Chicago's starting rotation, pitching four consecutive complete games; the of an inning
Neal Cotts pitched in the first game was the only work the White Sox bullpen saw the entire series.
The White Sox and Angels were victorious in the
AL Division Series (ALDS), with the White Sox defeating the defending World Champion and wild card qualifier
Boston Red Sox three games to none, and the Angels defeating the Eastern Division champion
New York Yankees three games to two. It was the first ALCS since
2002 not to feature the Red Sox or the Yankees.
Summary
Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Game summaries
Game 1
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at
U.S. Cellular Field in
Chicago, Illinois
In the series opener, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won 3–2 in their third game in as many nights and as many cities. The Angels took the lead in the second inning on a
Garret Anderson leadoff home run. Next inning,
Steve Finley and
Adam Kennedy hit back-to-back leadoff singles and advanced one base each on
Chone Figgins's sacrifice bunt.
Orlando Cabrera's single and
Vladimir Guerrero's groundout scored a run each. White Sox starter
José Contreras allowed no more runs, going innings. In the bottom of the inning,
Joe Crede's home run off of
Paul Byrd put the Sox on the board. Next inning, Chicago's
Carl Everett singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on
A. J. Pierzynski's single to make it a one-run game. However, neither team would score for the rest of the game. It was the first time in six tries that the Angels won a Game 1 under manager
Mike Scioscia, despite having won the World Series in 2002. This turned out to be the only game the White Sox would lose in the entire postseason.
Game 2
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at
U.S. Cellular Field in
Chicago, Illinois
Then-Senator and future President of the United States
Barack Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Behind a complete game from
Mark Buehrle and a now infamous strikeout in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox evened the series at a game apiece. In the bottom of the first,
Scott Podsednik reached second on an error, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on
Jermaine Dye's ground out.
Jarrod Washburn and two relievers held the Sox scoreless over the next seven innings while
Robb Quinlan's fifth inning home run tied the game. It remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. With two strikes,
A. J. Pierzynski swung and missed at a low pitch from Angels pitcher
Kelvim Escobar for strike three.
Josh Paul, the Angels catcher, rolled the ball to the mound and left the infield. Pierzynski realized strike three had been called, so he ran to first base in case the umpire ruled that the catcher had not legally caught the strike-three pitch (see
Uncaught third strike rule). In a controversial call, home-plate umpire
Doug Eddings ruled that the ball hit the ground before going into the catcher's glove despite signalling out, so the pitch was considered uncaught and Pierzynski was safe at first. A
pinch-runner,
Pablo Ozuna, stole second base.
Third baseman Joe Crede delivered a base hit three pitches later, scoring Ozuna for the winning run.
Game 3
Friday, October 14, 2005 at
Angel Stadium of Anaheim in
Anaheim, California
Chicago jumped to a 3−0 lead in the first inning off of
John Lackey as the series moved west to Anaheim.
Scott Podsednik hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came home on
Jermaine Dye's single before
Paul Konerko's two-run home run capped the scoring.
Tadahito Iguchi singled to lead off the third, moved to second on a walk, and scored on
Carl Everett's single. Two innings later, Iguchi doubled with one out and scored on Konerko's two-out single to put Chicago up 5−0. A two-run home run by
Orlando Cabrera in the sixth cut the lead to 5−2, but it would not be enough as the White Sox took the series lead, two games to one, with
Jon Garland pitching a
complete game.
Game 4
Saturday, October 15, 2005 at
Angel Stadium of Anaheim in
Anaheim, California
The visitors again jumped to a 3−0 lead in the first. Angel starter
Ervin Santana walked
Scott Podsednik and hit
Tadahito Iguchi before
Paul Konerko, after a disputed check swing on a 2–2 pitch, homered for the second straight game. The Angels cut it to 3−1 in the second when
Darin Erstad walked with one out, moved to third on
Casey Kotchman's single and White Sox pitcher
Freddy Garcia's throwing error to first, then scored on
Bengie Molina's single. With men on first and third,
Steve Finley hit a ground ball to second for an inning-ending double play, but argued that Sox catcher
A. J. Pierzynski had interfered with his swing. Chicago got that run back when
Jermaine Dye reached on shortstop
Orlando Cabrera's throwing error to first, stole second, and scored on
Carl Everett's base hit. Pierzynski's home run next inning made it 5−1. In the bottom of the inning, Angel
Garret Anderson singled with one out and scored on Coachman's two-out double, but in the fifth, Podsednik drew a leadoff walk and after
Scot Shields relieved Santana, stole second and scored on Everett's single.
Esteban Yan walked Everett to lead off the eighth, allowed a subsequent double to
Aaron Rowand followed by
Joe Crede's two-run single to put the Sox up 8−2. García pitched the White Sox's third straight complete game, helping put them one win from their first
World Series visit since
1959.
Game 5
Sunday, October 16, 2005 at
Angel Stadium of Anaheim in
Anaheim, California
Still on the road, Chicago struck first in Game 5 when
Aaron Rowand hit a leadoff ground-rule double in the third off of
Paul Byrd, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on
Joe Crede's sacrifice fly. But the Angels tied it in the third when
Juan Rivera hit a leadoff double, moved to third on pitcher
Jose Contreras's pickoff attempt error, and scored on
Adam Kennedy's single. In the top of the fifth,
Juan Uribe doubled and scored on
Jermaine Dye's single, but in the bottom of the inning, Kennedy hit a leadoff single and scored on
Chone Figgins's double. Figgins scored on a
Garret Anderson sacrifice fly to put the Angels up 3−2. Crede's leadoff home run in the seventh off of
Kelvim Escobar tied the game. Next inning, Escobar walked Rowand with two outs and an error moved him to second.
Francisco Rodriguez relieved Escobar and Crede greeted him with an RBI single to put the White Sox up 4−3. They got two insurance runs in the ninth when
Paul Konerko's double after back-to-back walks and Rowand's sacrifice fly scored a run each. Contreras delivered the fourth consecutive complete game by a White Sox pitcher, retiring the Angels in order in the ninth. Chicago captured its first American League pennant since
1959. This marked the first time in
77 years that a team threw four straight complete-game victories in the playoffs, becoming the first time it was done by four different pitchers since the
Chicago Cubs did it in the
1907 World Series.
Konerko was named the ALCS MVP. He finished the series
batting .286, with two
home runs and seven
RBIs. His two home runs came in the first innings of Games 3 and 4; he became only the third player in Major League history to hit homers in the first inning of consecutive playoff games, the other two having been
Dan Ford during the
1979 ALCS and
Carlos Beltrán during the
2004 NLCS.
Composite box
2005 ALCS (4–1):
Chicago White Sox over
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Aftermath
Doug Edding's controversial call in Game 2 proved to be the most pivotal point in the series. At the team's ten-year anniversary in 2015, White Sox chairman
Jerry Reinsdorf acknowledged that losing home-field advantage and going down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series would have been too difficult of a hole to climb out of. Catcher
A.J. Pierzynski, who was at the center of the call, said the year before when he was in
San Francisco, he was on the other end of that same type of play. Both
Paul Konerko and general manager
Kenny Williams believed that the Edding's likely got the call wrong. According to umpire supervisor
Rich Rieker, the replays showed "there was definitely a change in direction there" indicating the ball touched the ground and felt, at best, the replay was inconclusive. A.J. Pierzynski was booed in Anaheim until his retirement for his role in the controversy. Major League Baseball did not adopt
review via instant replay until the
2008 season.
The White Sox four straight complete games from starting pitchers from Game 2 through 5 was a remarkable feat, especially considering it was done in the
post 1970s closer era. To date, it's the last time a team pitched four straight complete games in the postseason, and in an era where managers show more trust in a fresh relievers than a tired starters, it will likely be the last.
References
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External links
2005 ALCS at Baseball Reference
{{Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio
Category:American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
Category:Chicago White Sox postseason
Category:Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim postseason
American League Championship
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Category:21st century in Anaheim, California
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Category:2005 in Illinois
American League Championship Series