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HOT CORNER
2005 MLB Playoffs
Believe It: A White Sox Winner!
October 27, 2005
In a fitting tribute to the Chicago White Sox's 2005 season, choosing a World Series MVP was a difficult task for MLB - not because the players played poorly but because every player fulfilled his role this postseason. Jermaine Dye's name is on the trophy (bookending the Series with a 1st inning Game 1 home run and a Game 4 game winning RBI), but Crede, Konerko, Podsednik, Buehrle, and just about everyone on the roster was worthy of an engraving. The pitchers kept the White Sox in every game, and the hitters came through when it mattered most. The result? An 11-1 record in the postseason, including 8 straight victories to finish the year with the 2005 World Series Championship.
In a bit of an oxymoron, the 2005 World Series was the closest blowout in the history of Major League Baseball. Three of the four games were tied in the 8th inning, and each game could have been won by either side. Houston was up to the challenge, but in the end, Chicago's depth was utilized and proved to be just enough each and every time.
Refusing to throw in the towel, Brandon Backe should be commended for an outstanding pitching effort, shutting out the White Sox for 7 innings in Game 4. As was the case for the entire playoffs, however, Chicago answered the challenge with Freddy Garcia matching Backe inning for inning. In the end, it was a Jermaine Dye single in the 8th inning sending Willie Harris home for the game's only run. A short time later, the White Sox were hoisting a trophy, pouring champagne, and singing along with Steve Perry.
With Kenny Williams, Ozzie Guillen, Greg Walker, and Harold Baines involved in Chicago's front office and coaching positions, the 2005 World Series Championship was a victory not just for White Sox present, but for the past as well. The organization went back to its roots for 2005, and the end result was one that even made Harold Baines crack a smile in the dugout. The South Side is celebrating because, as longtime White Sox radio announcer John Rooney would say, "It's a White Sox Winner!"
