2005 World Series Championship

Lore & Background

Home field advantage was awarded to Chicago by virtue of the AL's 7–5 victory over the NL in the 2005 MLB All-Star Game. The Astros were attempting to become the fourth consecutive wild card team to win the Series, following the Anaheim Angels (2002), Florida Marlins (2003) and Boston Red Sox (2004). Both teams were attempting to overcome decades of disappointment, with a combined 132 years between the two teams without a title. The Astros were making their first Series appearance in 44 years of play, while the White Sox had waited exactly twice as long for a title, having last won the Series in 1917, and had not been in the Series since 1959, three years before the Astros' inaugural season.

As of 2025, this is the most recent postseason series won by the White Sox. The Astros' appearance also marked the only time they made the World Series as a National League team, as all of their subsequent appearances were achieved as members of the American League.

Reader's Guide

The Chicago White Sox finished the regular season with the best record in the American League at 99–63. The 2005 White Sox led their division wire to wire and only lost one game in the postseason. After starting the season on a tear, the White Sox began to fade in August, when a game lead (for the AL Central division title) fell all the way to at one point. However, the White Sox were able to hold off the Cleveland Indians to win the American League Central Division by six games, sweeping the Indians in three games on the season's final weekend.

In the American League Division Series, the top-seeded White Sox swept the defending champion Boston Red Sox. The American League Championship Series began with the second-seeded Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim winning Game 1, but a controversial uncaught third strike in Game 2 helped the White Sox start a run and win Games 2–5, all on complete games pitched by starters Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy García, and José Contreras, clinching their first American League pennant since 1959.

In game 3 of the ALDS Orlando Hernandez came in with the bases loaded due to Damaso Marte loading the bases with a single and back to back walks. El Duque came in and induced 2 pop outs and a strike out to end the inning and preserve the lead. Manager Ozzie Guillén then led the White Sox to a World Series victory, their first in 88 years. Slugger Frank Thomas was not on the post-season roster because he was injured, but the team honored his perennial contributions to the franchise during Game 1 of the Division Series against the Red Sox when he was chosen to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The White Sox completed the 2005 postseason with an 11-1 record. The White Sox also won the last 5 regular season games and thus closed out the 2005 campaign winning 16 of the last 17 games played and 19 of their last 22 (all 3 losses by just 1 run), a record finish unmatched in all of MLB history.