2005 American League Championship Series

Game 1

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...

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

Garret Anderson

Garret Joseph Anderson is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played most of his career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels...

home run. The Angels added two more runs in the third, and then José Contreras

José Contreras

José Ariel Contreras Camejo is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies...

allowed no more runs, going innings. The White Sox tried to chip away at the lead, but only managed to score two runs on seven hits. The Angel relievers

Relief pitcher

A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

were able to hold the Sox scoreless. It was the first time in six tries that the Angels won a Game 1 under Mike Scioscia, despite the fact that they won the World Series in 2002.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field

in Chicago, Illinois
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. The Sox took advantage of an Angels error and drew first blood in the first inning. The game remained 1–0 until an Angels HR in the fifth tied it 1–1. Then with the score still tied and two out in the bottom of the ninth, with two strikes, A.J. Pierzynski swung at a low pitch from Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar

Kelvim Escobar

Kelvim Jose Escobar Bolivar is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed...

and missed, for strike three. Josh Paul

Josh Paul

Joshua William Paul is a former Major League Baseball catcher who is currently the manager of the Class A short-season Staten Island Yankees.-Playing career:...

, the Angels catcher, rolled the ball to the mound and left the infield. Pierzynski realized strike three had been called, but he had not been called out and ran to first base in case the umpire had ruled that the Angels catcher had not legally caught the strike three pitch (see Uncaught third strike rule.) Home-plate umpire Doug Eddings

Doug Eddings

Douglas Leon Eddings is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He came to public attention with a controversial call during Game Two of the 2005 American League Championship Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Eddings started umpiring Little League games at 14,...

indeed ruled that the ball hit the ground and then went into the catcher's glove, so the pitch was uncaught and Pierzynski was safe at first. A pinch-runner, Pablo Ozuna

Pablo Ozuna

Pablo José Ozuna is a retired Dominican Republic professional baseball utility player. During his major league career, he played for the Florida Marlins the Colorado Rockies , the Chicago White Sox , and the Los Angeles Dodgers ....

, replaced Pierzynski and stole second base. Third baseman

Third baseman

A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

Joe Crede

Joseph Taylor Crede is a Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently a free agent. Crede attended high school at Fatima High School in Westphalia, Missouri which he led to 3 district championships and two final four berths as a pitcher...

delivered a base hit three pitches later, scoring Ozuna for the winning run.

Game 3

Friday, October 14, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...

in Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

Paul Konerko

Paul Henry Konerko is an American professional baseball first baseman who has played for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball since 1999. He previously played with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds . Konerko helped the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series, the...

's two-run homer

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

in the first inning provided a Chicago lead that the Angels could never overcome, despite a two-run home run by Orlando Cabrera

Orlando Cabrera

Orlando Luis Cabrera, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", is a Colombian-American baseball infielder.He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He has played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins,...

in the sixth, as the White Sox took the series lead, two games to one, with Jon Garland

Jon Garland

Jon Steven Garland is a right-handed starting pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-High school career:At John F...

pitching a complete game

Complete game

In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...

Game 4

Saturday, October 15, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

in Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Freddy García

Freddy Antonio García , nicknamed "The Chief", is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent...

pitched the White Sox' third straight complete game and Paul Konerko hit his second consecutive first-inning home run to give the South Siders the lead. A.J. Pierzynski also homered in the fourth inning, helping put the White Sox one win from their first World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

visit since 1959

1959 World Series

The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...

. The controversy continued in this game. Konerko's three-run first-inning blast came after a disputed check swing on a 2–2 pitch. Later in the game, with the White Sox leading 3–1, the Angels put men on first and third for Steve Finley, who hit a ground ball to second for an inning-ending double play. He argued that White Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski had interfered with his swing. In the later innings, with the White Sox leading 5–1, Scott Podsednik

Scott Podsednik

Scott Eric Podsednik is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Podsednik led the major leagues in stolen bases in with 70.-Minor leagues:...

stole second and later scored.

Game 5

Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

in Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Joe Crede

led the way with his home run

Home run

, and José Contreras

José Contreras

José Ariel Contreras Camejo is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies...

pitched the fourth consecutive complete game by a White Sox pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

, Chicago won the ALCS and their first American League pennant since 1959

1959 World Series

. This also marked the first time in 77 years that a team threw four straight complete-game victories in the playoffs, and the first time that it was done by four different pitchers since the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

did it in the 1907 World Series

1907 World Series

The 1907 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, with the Cubs winning the Series four games to none for their first championship....

Composite box

2005 ALCS (4–1): Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

over Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

Series quotes

All quotes are by Joe Buck

Joe Buck

Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...

of Fox Sports unless otherwise noted.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Paul Konerko

of the Chicago White Sox was named the ALCS MVP following Game 5. He finished the series batting

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

.286, with two home run

Home run

s and seven RBIs

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

. His two home runs came in the first innings of Games 3 and 4; he is only the third player in major league history to hit home runs in the first inning of consecutive playoff games, the other two having been Dan Ford

Dan Ford

Darnell "Disco Dan" Glenn Ford , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1975-1985...

during the 1979 ALCS

1979 American League Championship Series

-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandGame 1 was a match-up of Nolan Ryan in his final season with the Angels, and Jim Palmer for the Orioles. The Angels jumped out to the early lead when Dan Ford homered in the top of the first. The Angels extended the lead...

and Carlos Beltrán

Carlos Beltrán

Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...

during the 2004 NLCS

2004 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe series opener at St. Louis' Busch Stadium was a slugfest involving four homers, 17 runs, and 22 hits, eventually won by St. Louis, 10–7. Houston struck the first blow of the series when Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run home...

External links

2005 ALCS at Baseball Reference

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