Chicago’s wait for a playoff series win finally ended on Wednesday in Houston. The White Sox took an early lead, scoring plenty of runs in the first inning, then Chase Meidroth capped the game with a three-run home run that sealed their 7-3 victory. That sweep marked the first playoff series triumph for the White Sox since 2005, when they defeated Houston in the World Series.
The White Sox will face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland under the guidance of second-year skipper Will Venable, who carries a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV. Chicago stands as the lone franchise in major league history to reach the postseason after losing 100 games in two straight campaigns, dropping 100 contests in each of the past three seasons.
The First Inning That Set the Tone
In the opening frame, Chicago piled up four runs against Houston. The previous day, the White Sox had notched three runs in the first two innings of a 6-3 victory. Houston’s ace, Hunter Brown, lasted just two outs before exiting, and his defense let him down with two errors in the very same inning.
During the game, Astros fans were heard booing, with some of it aimed at Brown. Glen Coleman told Houston Public Media that the booing wasn’t helping anyone.
“The booing, oh, I hate that,” Coleman said. “I don’t like when they boo their own players. It’s weak.”
Miguel Flores told Houston Public Media he didn’t necessarily agree.
“I kind of think Brown deserved it. He ain’t going to be here next year anyway,” Flores said. “It’s not productive, but hey, we’re fans. We’re going to do what we do. We pay a lot of money to see them win.”
Brown’s Fall From Grace
Brown was 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox before Wednesday’s outing. The Astros responded with three solo home runs, from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve, to cut the deficit to one run entering the sixth inning.
AJ Blubaugh was the man behind Game 1, and Peter Lambert took the mound for two days’ rest, combined to retire the next 13 batters after Brown exited. Chicago’. The trouble started in the sixth inning, when he walked Andrew Benintendi and then walked Tristan Peters.
Meidroth hit Bryan Abreu’s fifth pitch off the wall in left field, sending it into the gap for a home run that made the score 7-3. As he circled the bases, he let out a yell that brought cheers from a group of White Sox fans gathered near the visitors’ dugout.
The Astros’ Long Slide Home
For a second consecutive outing, Houston heard jeers from a notably sparse gathering, and it marked a second straight playoff run during which the Astros were swept at home in the wild card round. After dropping both contests against Detroit in 2024, the team has now fallen in that series twice in two trips.
Now they’ll face an uncertain future with manager Joe Espada’s contract set to expire at season’s end after general manager Dana Brown was fired last month.
Houston posted a 81-81 record, which made it the first team ever to make the playoffs without finishing with a winning mark. The Astros’ struggles in October at Minute Maid Park persisted Wednesday, as they lost their ninth consecutive home postseason contest during their ninth trip to the postseason in the past 10 seasons.
A Star’s Quiet Series
Houston’s slugger and the AL MVP favorite failed to deliver during the series, collecting just one hit while striking out twice in eight at-bats.
In the fourth inning, Altuve hit a home run into left field, narrowing the Astros’ deficit to 4-3. That blast marked the 28th postseason homer of his career, putting him second all-time in Major League Baseball behind Manny Ramirez (29).
Before Meidroth’s homer gave the Astros a chance to move ahead, they had already put themselves into position to do so. With two outs in the fifth inning, they loaded the bases, only to have Anthony Kay get Altuve to hit a fly out that ended the frame.
The Fans Who Booed Their Own Team
The most striking part of this series wasn’t the baseball. It was the fans. Astros supporters booed their own players, including Brown, and some of them admitted they weren’t helping.
Coleman’s disgust was plain. Flores defended the booing as fan behavior, even if he didn’t agree with it.
It is ironic that these fans spend a great deal of money to watch the Astros triumph, yet by jeering them, they are actually working against what they paid for.
The Road Ahead
The four-game sweep sends Chicago to the AL Division Series against Cleveland. It ends a lengthy stretch of disappointment for an organization that hadn’t captured a playoff series since 2005, a span of more than two decades.
The White Sox have taken an unusual route to the postseason. They are the only franchise in major league history to come back from two straight 100-loss seasons and make the playoffs. The Astros have done something just as rare: they are the first team ever to reach the postseason while posting a losing record.
The difference between the two teams could not be more pronounced. One is constructing its project from scratch, while the other has squandered a decade’s worth of chances to build on its own foundation.
The Astros enter the offseason with their front office in flux. General manager Dana Brown was fired last month, and Espada’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
For two consecutive seasons, the team has fallen to a sweep in the wild card round at its own home field. Attendance was sparse once more, and the defeat cut deep.
The Astros’ Wednesday night defeat marked their ninth consecutive home playoff loss, a run that spans nine postseason appearances in the last 10 years.
The sweep is done. The next round begins Saturday in Cleveland.
Source material: “White Sox pounce early, finish sweep of Astros for first playoff series win since 2005,” Houston Public Media.
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