On October 9th in sports history, one significant event took place in 2005 when the Chicago White Sox clinched their first postseason series victory since 1917 by defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-3 in Game 3 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) at Fenway Park.
The White Sox, led by manager Ozzie Guillen, had finished the regular season with a 99-63 record, winning the American League Central division by a comfortable margin. They entered the postseason with high hopes, eager to end their 88-year World Series championship drought.
In the ALDS, the White Sox faced the Boston Red Sox, who had famously broken their own 86-year "Curse of the Bambino" just a year earlier by winning the 2004 World Series. The series began in Chicago, with the White Sox taking a 2-0 lead thanks to strong pitching performances from José Contreras and Mark Buehrle.
As the series shifted to Fenway Park for Game 3, the White Sox knew they had a chance to make history. They sent Freddy García to the mound, while the Red Sox countered with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when the White Sox broke through against Wakefield. After a leadoff single by Tadahito Iguchi, A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run homer into the right-field seats, giving Chicago a 2-0 lead. The White Sox added another run in the inning on an RBI single by Juan Uribe.
The Red Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs on a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. However, the White Sox responded in the top of the seventh, with Paul Konerko hitting a solo home run to extend their lead to 4-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Red Sox threatened again, loading the bases with no outs. Guillen brought in relief pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández, who had a reputation for thriving in high-pressure situations. Hernández proceeded to escape the jam unscathed, striking out two batters and inducing a pop-up to preserve the White Sox lead.
The White Sox added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Pierzynski. Closer Bobby Jenks then took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and, despite allowing a solo home run to Manny Ramirez, secured the 5-3 victory and the series sweep for the White Sox.
The win marked the first postseason series triumph for the White Sox since the 1917 World Series. The team's jubilant celebration on the field at Fenway Park showed the raw emotion and relief of a franchise that had waited nearly a century for this moment.
The White Sox would go on to sweep the Los Angeles Angels in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and then defeat the Houston Astros in a four-game sweep in the World Series, ending their 88-year championship drought in dominant fashion. The 2005 White Sox team is often considered one of the most dominant postseason teams in recent history, with a combined record of 11-1 in the playoffs.
The clinching victory on October 9th, 2005, at Fenway Park will forever be remembered as a defining moment in Chicago White Sox history and a significant event in sports history on this date.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
