White Sox beat Astros 7-3 to sweep AL Wild Card Series behind Meidroth's three-run homer
Chicago won its first playoff series since 2005 and will meet AL Central champion Cleveland in the Division Series starting Saturday.
What we know
- The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 in Game 2 at Daikin Park on Wednesday to sweep the AL Wild Card Series. [1] [2]
- Chicago scored four runs in the first inning and added three more in the sixth, the last three on a homer by Chase Meidroth. [1] [2]
- Anthony Kay was the winning pitcher and Hunter Brown took the loss. [1]
- The White Sox advance to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series, which begins Saturday in Cleveland, according to The Associated Press. [2]
- Not yet confirmed: The future of Astros manager Joe Espada, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, is uncertain, according to The Associated Press.
The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series with a 7-3 win in Game 2 on Wednesday at Daikin Park, according to the box score and The Associated Press. Chicago (84-78) won the series 2-0 and advances to the AL Division Series against AL Central champion Cleveland, which starts Saturday in Cleveland. [1][2]
The AP reported it is Chicago's first playoff series win since the White Sox beat Houston in the 2005 World Series. The White Sox lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons and, according to the AP, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth. [2]
The White Sox scored four times in the first inning, helped by two Houston errors, the AP said. Astros starter Hunter Brown was removed after getting two outs. The AP reported Brown had been 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against Chicago before Wednesday. [1][2]
Houston answered with solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve, cutting the deficit to 4-3 after Altuve's homer in the fourth inning, according to the AP. Chicago pitchers AJ Blubaugh and Peter Lambert combined to retire the next 13 batters after Brown exited, the AP said. [2]
The turning point came in the sixth. After Lambert walked Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, Meidroth hit a three-run homer off Houston reliever Bryan Abreu to make it 7-3, the AP reported. In the fifth, the Astros loaded the bases with two outs, but Kay retired Altuve on a fly out to end the threat. [2]
"It means everything for our fans," Meidroth said. White Sox manager Will Venable said he was proud of the players, calling them "probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot." [2]
Houston, which won the AL West with an 81-81 record, finished the regular season without a winning record, the AP said, and has lost nine straight home playoff games. Houston manager Joe Espada's contract is set to expire after the season, the AP reported. [1][2]