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DEL.ICIO.USTowering homers keep Sox believin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
They’re supposed to be the purveyors of Little Ball, but they won Game 2 with two Big Bangs. They were being lampooned as the biggest chokers in baseball history, and now they stand two games from being champions. They’re the Chicago White Sox and, in case you haven’t been paying attention, they’re a remarkably resilient bunch. Their theme song is Journey’s hoary “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and the Sox haven’t and don’t.
They won the ALCS on the momentum built from a strikeout with nobody aboard and two out in the bottom of the ninth. We’ve all seen the A.J. Pierzynski-Josh Paul-Doug Ed- dings third strike a thousand times now, and Game 2 of the World Series offered another installment of Stump The Ump. Jermaine Dye, once a Brave, faced a full count with two out and two on in the seventh, his team two runs in arrears. Dye started to swing at Dan Wheeler’s inside pitch and then tried to hold up. And then plate umpire Jeff Nelson pointed toward first.
Dye hadn’t swung and missed, Nelson ruled. Wheeler’s pitch had brushed Dye’s forearm, or some such body part. Replays indicated the ball had actually struck Dye’s bat. This being baseball, replay is used only for dramatic television effect, not to overturn erring arbiters. Pierzynski was allowed to take first in the ALCS, and that play changed the series. On this nasty night Dye took his base, and a World Series might have turned on the next pitch.
Chad Qualls relieved Wheeler. His first delivery came in high and was driven out low and fast. Paul Konerko, the biggest slugger among Chisox, sent a liner screaming through the rain and chill over the left-field fence. Never let it be said that the White Sox don’t know how to seize a gift. Or a moment.
Even a moment they nearly let slip away. Bobby Jenks, the hefty reliever who had overwhelmed the Astros one night earlier, came on to work the ninth and wound up being himself overwhelmed by Jeff Bagwell, who had struck out against Jenks in Game 1, and by Jose Vizcaino, the professional hitter who had, in the 2000 Subway Series, won Game 1 for the Yankees in extra innings.
With two out and two runners in scoring position, Vizcaino drove Jenks’ first pitch into left field. Braves-killer Chris Burke scored the tying run by sliding around Pierzynski’s tag, Scott Posednik having made a terrific throw from left field. We would hear more from Mr. Posednik, more very soon.
Brad Lidge, who was foiled by Albert Pujols six days before, was summoned to protect the tie in the bottom of the ninth. He retired Jose Uribe on a deep fly ball. Then Posednik, 0-for-4 on the night and homer-less in the regular season, launched an even deeper drive to right-center, the missile clearing the fence and ending the game and sending the Series to Houston on a rousing note. It could well end there.
“That’s when you know stuff is going your way,” said Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox manager, speaking of Posednik’s homer.
Phil Garner had expressed the same sentiment 10 minutes earlier, saying, “Even when they break a bat, they move the runner over.”
And yes, the Astros have Roy Oswalt going for them in Game 3, but that’s about all they have working right now.
And to think: Not quite a month ago, the White Sox were being ripped for having squandered 13 1/2 of a 15-game lead against onrushing Cleveland. They’ve since won 14 of 15 games, and they’re halfway to their first World Series title since 1917. This is the Windy City, and the wind is definitely at the back of the Sox.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Braves / MLB, Mark Bradley
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By RW-(the original)
October 24, 2005 01:23 AM | Link to this
I’d like to see the Sox win just to break the whole ‘wild card always wins’ thing, but it sure seems like Black Sox revisited with a twist.
ALCS and World Series so far, has any team ever benifited from so many phantom calls.
Strike out-take your base;foul ball-take your base.
Forget my first comment GO ASTROS
By Chop Chop
October 24, 2005 02:24 AM | Link to this
Hey, Mark! Good column, but it’s “Podsednik”, not “Posednik”.
By Carroll
October 24, 2005 07:23 AM | Link to this
I hate it for the ‘Stros but I guess Jermaine Dye was due a little payback for the 96 WS. Does anyone else remember game 4….the great Leyritz homer game? Well, long before that homer, when the Yanks were just starting to build some offensive momentum, we had a chance to snuff it out such that Leyritz would’ve never even had that opportunity. When it was like 6-1 or 6-2 with 2 out, Jeter blooped a little foul pop down the rightfield line….Dye was settling in under it for an easy catch when low and behold the right field umpire conveniently stepped right in his way, costing the out, eventally costing the lead, the game and the series. It is uncanny and just damned unfortunate how umps have decided so many games and series over the years. We need instant replay!
Some will b!tch and moan that it will make the games take longer…b******! If I’ve already committed 3-3.5 hours of my day to watching a game, I won’t mind an extra 5-15 min just to make sure the umps didn’t screw it up (as they did in game 4). There’s an instance where 30 seconds of replay (on both the the “homerun” in the 9th and the two instances of feet coming off the bag) would have saved 2 hours of extra innings!
Incidentally, does anyone else think that just maybe that extra innings game where Lidge threw like 4+ innings might have any effect on his recent suckdom?
By South Sider
October 24, 2005 02:31 PM | Link to this
Terrific throw from Podsednik? He had the ball in shallow left before the runner even hit third base. There’s no way that run should have scored. It was a horribly weak throw followed by a clutch way of making up for it.
By Carroll
October 24, 2005 02:45 PM | Link to this
Southsider: I know! I thought he’d be dead meat at the plate! Reminded me a lot of Barry Bonds’ feeble attempt to throw out the iron-footed Sid “scooter” Bream in 92.
By David W.
October 28, 2005 05:22 PM | Link to this
“By RW-(the original)
October 24, 2005 01:23 AM | Link to this
I’d like to see the Sox win just to break the whole ‘wild card always wins’ thing, but it sure seems like Black Sox revisited with a twist.
ALCS and World Series so far, has any team ever benifited from so many phantom calls.
Strike out-take your base;foul ball-take your base.
Forget my first comment GO ASTROS”
RW,
The White Sox benefited from superior pitching and timely hitting. Not phantom calls. Don’t believe me? Go back and read some of the quotes from Mike Sciosia.
Bottom line - the Angels didn’t have many opportunities because of the White Sox pitching.
The Astros didn’t cash in on their opportunities because of the White Sox pitching.
Anyone who knows anything about baseball realizes that good pitching will trump good hitting, and win championships, every time!
Congratulations, White Sox!!! You deserved it!!!