White Sox Sweep Astros for First Playoff Series Win Since 2005

Chicago completed a two-game sweep of Houston with a 7-3 Game 2 win, its first playoff series victory since the 2005 World Series.

The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Wednesday at Daikin Park to sweep their American League Wild Card Series, capturing the franchise's first playoff series win since the 2005 World Series — which, coincidentally, also ended in a sweep of Houston in the same ballpark. Chicago struck early again, scoring four first-inning runs against Astros ace Hunter Brown a day after a 6-3 Game 1 win. Chase Meidroth delivered the decisive blow, a three-run homer off Bryan Abreu in the sixth that pushed the lead to 7-3 as he yelled around the bases. The victory sends the White Sox to an ALDS matchup with Cleveland beginning Saturday.

The sweep is remarkable given where this franchise stood. Chicago lost 100 games in each of the past three seasons, and it is the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth. Manager Will Venable, in his second year, said his players were 'probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot.' Meidroth said the run 'means everything for our fans,' and the club even carried a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV.

The Astros limped out of the playoffs at 81-81, the first team ever to reach the postseason without a winning record, and dropped their ninth straight home playoff game. It is the second consecutive postseason in which they were swept at home in the wild card, after losing both games to Detroit in 2024. Fans booed the team for a second straight game from an unusually thin crowd, and after Game 1 reliever Bennett Sousa called the boos 'pretty pissed off'-inducing before apologizing Wednesday, while first baseman Christian Walker called the jeers 'extremely frustrating,' per Yahoo Sports. Manager Joe Espada's contract expires at season's end after GM Dana Brown was fired last month.

Chicago chased Hunter Brown after just two-thirds of an inning — he entered 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox — helped by two Houston first-inning errors. Sam Antonacci doubled, Kyle Teel singled him home, and Miguel Vargas scored on a throwing error before Tristan Peters added an RBI single. Astros solo homers from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve cut it to 4-3, with Altuve's shot his 28th postseason homer, second only to Manny Ramirez's 29. Anthony Kay escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by retiring Altuve, and per NBC Los Angeles, Brazoban, Kay, Jordan Hicks and Erick Fedde combined for five shutout relief innings.

The White Sox now face AL Central champion Cleveland in the best-of-five AL Division Series, starting Saturday at noon at Progressive Field on TBS, per the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune notes Cleveland will counter with better starting pitching and elite closer Cade Smith, while mlb.com points out Cleveland will see a Chicago side that looked unstoppable in the wild card.