White Sox Complete Sweep
The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 on Wednesday to sweep their AL Wild Card Series, securing their first playoff series win since 2005. Chicago jumped on Houston early, scoring four runs in the first inning. Chase Meidroth's three-run homer in the sixth inning extended the lead to 7-3. The White Sox, who lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth. They will face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.[S1]
Manager Will Venable expressed pride in his team, noting that the players believed in themselves when few others did. Meidroth said the win means everything for the fans, who have been incredible all year. The White Sox advanced with support from a letter from Pope Leo XIV. Houston, which won the AL West with an 81-81 record, became the first team to reach the postseason without a winning record. The Astros dropped their ninth straight home playoff game and have now been swept at home in the wild card round for the second consecutive year.[S1]
Astros' Season Ends
Houston's season ended with disappointment and uncertainty. Manager Joe Espada's contract is set to expire at season's end, and general manager Dana Brown was fired last month. The Astros faced boos from a thin crowd for the second straight game. Slugger Yordan Alvarez, an AL MVP favorite, managed only one single with two strikeouts in eight at-bats in the series. Jose Altuve hit his 28th career postseason home run, second in MLB history behind Manny Ramirez's 29. Altuve said the team is sad because they wanted to go to the World Series and win it.[S1]
Houston ace Hunter Brown was lifted after recording just two outs in the first inning, hurt by two errors. He had been 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox before Wednesday. The Astros clawed back with solo homers from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve to trail 4-3 entering the sixth. But Meidroth's three-run shot off Bryan Abreu put the game out of reach. Espada said he was extremely proud of his team for winning the division and staying together, though they fell short of playing deep in October.[S1]
