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The Chicago White Sox played in their first World Series in 1906
when they beat the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 2. Chicago again went
to the World Series in 1917 beating the Giants 4 games to 2.
“Shoeless Joe Jackson played in the outfield during the 1919
“Black Sox Scandal,” when the Cincinnati Reds won against
Chicago
5 games to 3. Forty years later, in 1959, the Chicago White Sox
played its last “Serie Mundial” losing to the Los Angeles
Dodgers 4 games to 2.
When the World
Series was last played in Chicago, box seats went for $10.31
compared to $185.00 this year!
The Houston ball
club, the “Colt .45s” began playing baseball in Colt Stadium
during the season of 1962. In 1965, the Colts were renamed the
Houston Astros and began play in the new Astrodome. In the year
2000, the team moved to the new Minute
Maid
Park.
The Houston team
has never played in the World Series, in the 43 years as a
franchise of Major League Baseball.
One hundred-two
years of changes has evolved since that first World Series was
played in 1903. Eighty-six years have passed since “The Pride of
Havana” Dolf Luque pitched his innings during the 1919 World
Series when
Cincinnati
beat Chicago.
Seventy-six years
have passed since Chicago Cubs catcher Cuban Miguel Angel
González took his one turn at bat during the 1929 World
Series. During the 1932 World Series, the “Gay Caballero”
Lefty Gómez pitched a complete game for the New York Yankees.
In 1959, we saw Dodgers shortstop, Venezuelan Luis Aparicio,
in the World Series win against the Chicago White Sox. Then, in
1960, for the very first time in World Series, we watched
Roberto Clemente playing in the outfield for the Pittsburgh
Pirates. Clemente’s 9 hits, 1 run, 3 RBIs, and 19 putouts helped
to conquer the mighty New York Yankees as Pittsburgh won the World
Series 4 games to 3.
Welcome to the
2005 World Series – Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox,
The Windy City
against the Lone Star State
Ozzie Guillen,
the “Wizzard of Oz,” who believes in Santeria vs. Phil Garner,
nicknamed “Scrap Iron”.
The Chicago White
Sox and their Spanish accented “I live for this” Manager Ozzie
Guillen give meaning to the word “colorful.” Coaching Chicago at
3rd base is Joey Cora from
Caguas, Puerto
Rico. On the World Series roster, starting pitchers, Cubans
José Contreras,
Orlando “El Duque” Hernández
and Venezuelan
Freddy García. From the Dominican Republic, Pablo Ozuna
and Timo Pérez are on the bench. Damaso Marte and
Luis Vizcaino are in the bullpen. In the starting lineup,
playing shortstop, Juan Uribe.
The Houston Astros
have 5 Latinos on their World Series Roster. Rookie Pitchers in
the bullpen, Ezequiel Astacio and Wandy Rodríguez.
“El veterano” José Vizcaino is on the bench. Centerfielder
Willy Taveras is on the starting line-up. All are natives
of “La Republica Dominicana.” On the bench, Orlando Palmeiro,
who was born in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Coaching at 1st
base for the Houston Astros is José “Cheo” Cruz of
Puerto
Rico. The veteran Cruz played 18 seasons in the Major Leagues, 12
seasons in the outfield of the Astros. Among the first families
of baseball from Puerto Rico, José Cruz has 2 sons in the Major
Leagues; José Jr. plays for Tampa
Bay and José
Enrique is currently in the New York Yankees minor league
system.
World Series Game
1 –
Houston Astros @ Chicago White Sox U.S. Cellular Field:
It was supposed to
be a pitcher’s duel. The “Rocket” Roger Clemens vs. José
Contreras. Both pitchers teamed for World Series experience in
2003 with the New York Yankees. Here they are now. Contreras in
the black & white stripes uniform of the White Sox and the Rocket
Clemens, big on the mound, with a look of power for the Astros.
But “fanaticos,” this is 2005 and the power now belongs to
the “re-born” Contreras with his arsenal of pitches, including his
nasty forkball. Roger Clemens is pitching the last dream of his
career, seemingly pitching on pure “will power.”
Let the World
Series games begin:
At 2nd
base for 18 seasons in Houston, Craig Biggio played in 2,564
regular season games. In his first at bat during World Series,
Biggio can be credited with the first out, in the first inning of
the 2005 World Series. The Rookie centerfielder Willie Taveras
made the 2nd out. Leftfielder, Lance Berkman
struck out and ended the 1st inning for Contreras vs.
Houston.
Roger Clemens took
the mound and was not sharp from the start. During his 9th
pitch in the 1st inning, centerfielder Jermaine Dye
blasted a solo homerun to give the lead to Chicago, 1-0.
Jeff Bagwell is
the DH for
Houston, while the teams play in
the American League
Park. During 15 years in the Major Leagues, Bagwell played in
2,150 games before taking his first at bat in a World Series
game. He was hit by a pitch by José Contreras.
Both teams scored
in the 2nd inning and the score was Chicago 2, Houston
1.
Houston scored 2
runs in the 3rd inning and the teams were tied at 3
runs each.
And that was all
for Roger Clemens, who left the game after pitching 2 innings,
giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 strike out, and 1 homerun. Clemens
threw 54 pitches before he left the game with a hamstring injury.
Thus, perhaps ended the dream of the 43-year-old Roger Clemens,
becoming the oldest pitcher to win a World Series game.
Houston Rookie,
left hand pitcher, Wandy Rodríguez took the mound for Clemens and
got smacked with a homerun by
Chicago
3rd baseman Joe Crede to put Chicago in front 4 runs to
3.
The Chicago White
Sox beat the Houston Astros 5-3 in front of 41,206 fans including,
the FBI, ATF, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals and Chicago City and
State Police Officers. In this age of terrorism, security was
tight in and around the Stadium.
Venezuelan Ozzie
Guillen and the White Sox celebrated the first World Series game
victory by Chicago since 1959.
Game 1 winner José
Contreras pitched 7 innings, allowed the 3 runs to Houston, and
tied a 1971 World Series record by hitting 3 batters. Contreras
became the 6th Cuban pitcher to start a World Series
game.
Wandy Rodríguez
pitched 3-1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 5 walks, and 1 home run.
Rodríguez took the loss for Houston.
Flashback:
In Chicago, there is a moment to remember:
October 23, 1945.
Jackie Robinson became the first black player in Major League
Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
World Series Game
2 -
The
Windy City became the Rainy City for the second
game of the World Series.
Mark Buehrle “the
claw” started the game for Chicago. As one of the quickest
pitchers in the Major Leagues, he pitched a 5-minute, 10-pitch 1st
inning to get out the first 3 Astros in the lineup.
The “Good Guy”
Andy Pettitte, who had 10 starts during World Series and won 4
rings with the New York Yankees, pitched an easy 1-2-3 first
inning.
In the 2nd
inning,
Houston’s
3rd baseman Mark Ensberg connected a first pitch home
run against Buehrle and the Astros took the lead against Chicago
1-0.
Top of the 3rd
inning, Houston’s centerfielder Willie Taveras hits a triple and
scores the run on a sacrifice by Lance Berkman to tie the game
2-2.
With the rain
coming down in
Chicago, it was a pitching match
of hitting, fielding, and strikeouts by the players of both teams,
until the 5 inning. With Brad Ausmus and Willie Taveras on base
for Houston, Lance Berkman connected with a double which scored
Ausmus and Taveras to give Houston
the lead 4 – 2.
Andy Pettitte came
out of the game in the 6th inning after 98 pitches.
To start the 7th
inning, Dan Wheeler pitched in relief of Pettitte and loaded the
bases with White Sox on a double to Juan Uribe, a walk to
Japanese 2nd baseman Tadahito Iguci, and hit by pitch
Jermaine Dye. Relief pitcher Chad Qualls took the mound for
Houston. With 2 outs, on the first pitch by Qualls, Paul Konerko
hits the first grand slam in Chicago World Series history. The
grand slam brought the 41,432 wet, soggy
Chicago
fans to life on the windy, rainy night. White Sox 6 – Astros 4.
In the top of the
9th, big, bad, talks to himself on the mound, Chicago’s
Bobby Jenks enters the game in relief. Jenks gives up a hit to
Jeff Bagwell and walks Chris Burke. Veteran shortstop, 37 year
old, José Vizcaino comes in to pinch hit. Vizcaino
delivered a hard hit to score Bagwell and Burke. The game is tied
6-6. In the dugout, Ozzie Guillen’s hand movements stopped for a
moment.
And, so, it seemed
it would be a battle for Game 2 of the World Series.
Then, in the
bottom of the 9th inning, Brad Lidge, who during Game 5
of the LCS gave up the spectacular home run to Cardinals Albert
Pujols, takes the mound in relief for Houston. Chicago’s
leftfielder, Scott Podsednik who did not hit a single home run
during 507 at bats during regular season, hits his 2nd
home run during postseason. It was a World Series thriller, hit
to left center field and Chicago wins the 2nd game of
the World Series 7 - 6.
Two relievers,
Chicago’s Neil Cotts gets the win, Houston’s Brad Lidge is the
loser.
Houston’s two
veteran arms pitching the first two games, Roger Clemens and Andy
Pettitte are unable to take Houston all the way in the World
Series.
Chicago White Sox
take the World Series games lead 2 – 0. After a quiet celebration
of the second game win by the team from the Southside of Chicago,
the teams flew to warmer weather, to play under the roof of
Houston’s
“juice box” Minute Maid
Park.
Tuesday, October
25th, third game of the World Series. Scheduled to pitch for
Chicago, Jon Garland vs. Roy Oswalt for Houston.
“This is World
Series baseball” and “I live for this!”
Amigos
y Amigas de La Prensa, enjoy the World Series! |
