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Simulated World Series 05

It's Houston vs. Chicago in the 2005 Fall Classic. Find out who the games say will win!

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By Brian Ekberg
Design by Collin Oguro

These are the stories of October.

Each fall we're treated to a new chapter in one of sports' longest-running epics: the Major League Baseball playoffs. Almost without fail, these chapters are gripping yarns that tell of both great triumph and humiliating defeat. They tell of athletes who perennially etch themselves places in World Series history, either by rising above their already superior skills or by making crucial errors at the most inopportune of times.

It would have been hard to top the tale of 2004, which, for many fans, had everything a baseball fan could want in a playoff series: drama, intrigue, and too many great storylines to count. The "idiots" defeating the Evil Empire. The Curse of the Bambino lifted. Schilling's bloody ankle. Yes, after last year's Boston Red Sox World Series victory, 2005 could have seemed like a dissatisfying denouement. However, that would be so if the 2005 World Series didn't involve the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox, two teams with drama, intrigue, and curses of their own that need lifting.

The White Sox starting pitching staff was nails in the ALCS. Can they repeat the performance in the 2005 World Series?
The White Sox starting pitching staff was nails in the ALCS. Can they repeat the performance in the 2005 World Series?

The White Sox haven't been to a World Series since 1959, and they haven't won one since 1917. Then there was 1919, the year the Sox made it back to the Series only to become involved in a firestorm of controversy for throwing it--the infamous Black Sox scandal--which cost them seven of their best players the following year. In more-modern times, they've flirted with success, even winning a division title in the Series-less strike season of 1994. But in some ways, the White Sox have always played second fiddle to those fan-friendly lovable-loser Chicago Cubs. If anything, the South Side Sox have always been sort of unlovable losers.

In 2005, the White Sox's surprising domination from the start of the season seemed like a fluke, despite consistently strong performances from their starting pitchers. Chicago was set to post the best regular season record in the Major Leagues before being overtaken by the St. Louis Cardinals late in the season, thanks in no small part to a late-season slump that almost saw the team overtaken by the Cleveland Indians. Then came the playoffs and, specifically, the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels, which will go down in history for a scintillating four-game stretch by Chicago's core pitching rotation (Mark Buerhle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras), whose members--in one playoff-week stretch--managed to post four complete games to take the series 4-1 from the hapless Angels.

The Houston Astros have playoff stories themselves, and to many fans those stories began in the National League Championship Series of 1986. The Astros had some nominal playoff success before then, winning a division title in the strike-shortened season of 1981, but '86 saw Houston fielding one of its strongest units in the club's history. Led by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and 1986 Cy Young winner Mike Scott (he of the deadly split-finger fastball), the '86 'Stros took the eventual champion New York Mets to six games, including a series capper that went a whopping 16 innings.

As one half of the famous 'Killer B's' (along with Jeff Bagwell), Craig Biggio is expected to come up big in the fall classic.
As one half of the famous 'Killer B's' (along with Jeff Bagwell), Craig Biggio is expected to come up big in the fall classic.

The 21st century has been kinder to Houston, as the team has earned a handful of division championships and a new stadium. 2004 saw Houston get this close to a shot at redemption for 1986, as the team faced--and eventually lost to--the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games of the NLCS, a series that was partially defined by a walk-off home run by Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds in game six that forced a seventh and deciding game. In 2005, determined not to repeat the same mistake, Houston found itself once again embroiled in a battle with the Cards, only this time the team was up three games to one and was ready to close out the series at home. Then Albert Pujols hit a home run late in game five to give the Cardinals the win, thus sending the NLCS back to St. Louis. Astros fans feared a repeat of 2004, until Houston ace Roy Oswalt took to the mound and lifted his team to its first World Series appearance after an absolutely dominating pitching performance.

In terms of drama and excitement, you couldn't hope for two better teams for the 2005 World Series. The cast of characters alone is enough to get purists' tongues wagging in anticipation: Roger Clemens looking to cement his legacy one more time by bringing home a World Series to his home city of Houston; Andy Pettitte making his seventh playoff appearance; the entire starting pitching core for the White Sox, which is probably as well known as a group these days as it is for its great individual performers. And then there are the fans of both teams...fans who understand just as well as Red Sox fans what it means to be long-suffering and to cheer under the dark cloud of missed opportunities. One thing is certain: One group of those fans won't have to suffer for much longer.

These are the stories of October. The next chapter begins Saturday night.

--

For our 2005 World Series simulation, we ran a best-of-seven series using all three of this year's baseball games-- MLB 2006, MVP Baseball 2005, and ESPN MLB 2K5--in rotation. In the contest notes, we've made mention of which game was used to simulate that contest, and we've done our best to use consistent settings and rosters across all three games. For the results of our simulated 2005 World Series, turn the page.

Game 1 - Contreras Dominates

ESPN MLB 2K5
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox
Roger Clemens versus Jose Contreras
Series is tied at 0-0

The White Sox didn't take long to get their playoff party started early. Aaron Rowand and Juan Uribe started things off quickly with back-to-back hits in the first to put Clemens in trouble early in the game. Phil Garner, in a surprising move, came out to the mound immediately to calm the normally unflappable vet down. Jermaine Dye knocked a single to bring both runs home, giving the Sox a two-run lead. Konerko followed up with a line-drive double to keep the inning going. Scott Posednik, not to be outdone, added another run to the mix. Clemens finally found his stuff and struck out Tadahito Iguchi with three straight pitches.

Roger Clemens has been doing this since your big brother was in high school. Now he's looking to bring the title to his home town.
Roger Clemens has been doing this since your big brother was in high school. Now he's looking to bring the title to his home town.

Contreras, bolstered by the early four-run lead, was absolutely dominant early in the game, adding K after K to his tally and making Houston's hitters look silly in the process. The Astros came to life in the fourth inning when Chris Burke stole second base and was eventually batted in after Lance Berkman flied out with one out. It would be Houston's only run of the inning, however, as Contreras managed to once again find his form. Wandy Rodriguez came in to relieve Clemens in the fourth for the 'Stros, and he started off strong by striking out the side on nine straight pitches.

In the sixth, Konerko beat out a bad throw to first for a single, but just before the Sox could get another scoring run going, Houston closed out the inning with a great double play that showed outstanding defensive focus. Contreras racked up his ninth and tenth strikeouts of the game--with another complete game from the White Sox starting crew well in view. Apparently, however, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen didn't agree (in the interest of saving Contreras' arm for later efforts), so he pulled the starter in favor of lefty Damaso Marte, who managed to get through the eighth despite letting two Astros reach base. A Lance Berkman single and stolen base in the top of the ninth kept Houston in the game but Marte managed to close the game out to put the White Sox up early in the 2005 World Series.

Final Score: Houston Astros: 1, Chicago White Sox: 4
WP - Jose Contreras (1-0) - 1.23 ERA, 11K
LP - Roger Clemens (0-1) - 12.00 ERA, 4K
S - Damaso Marte
Player of the Game: Jose Contreras - 1.23 ERA, 11K

Game 2 - Gutting it Out

MVP Baseball 2005
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox
Andy Pettitte versus Mark Buehrle
Chicago leads the series 1-0

The third pitch from Chicago's Mark Buerhle must have looked like a big fat Halloween pumpkin to Houston shortstop Adam Everett as it careened off his bat. The two-run home run gave the Astros an early 2-0 lead in game two of the World Series. It was then followed by a solid double from Lance Berkman. Buehrle looked shaky in the early going after walking Willy Taveras and tossing a wild pitch, but he didn't earn any more runs in the inning. Andy Pettitte, on the other hand, had a decent start, even though he did walk two batters in the first. Buerhle's troubles continued in the second, following a huge bomb from Brad Ausmus that gave the Astros yet another run.

The South Siders' winning streak continued in Game 2, thanks to the hot bat of Aaron Rowand.
The South Siders' winning streak continued in Game 2, thanks to the hot bat of Aaron Rowand.

With runners on second and third, catcher A.J. Pierzynski hit a blistering single between shortstop and second base to drive in two runs, thus keeping the game close. A solo shot from Aaron Rowand tied the game at three apiece and had the South Side crowd worked up into an early inning frenzy. The very next inning, Rowand blasted another bomb in to deep left field, which put the White Sox up by one and gave color commentator Mike Krukow ample opportunity to refer to Andy Pettitte as "meat." As if hearing the criticism, Pettitte immediately responded to Rowand's second homer...by walking Carl Everett on four straight pitches. Meat indeed.

Things wouldn't stay that way for long, however. Back to back singles by Houston players, and an errant throw from Buehrle, loaded the bases for the Astros with just one out. A sacrifice fly by Chris Burke tied up the game, and a Lance Berkman hit scored the run that put the 'Stros ahead once again. Taveras took a pitch in the shoulder that cleared the benches in the seventh, but the scrap wouldn't rally either team right away. In the eighth inning, Juan Uribe's solo shot tied the game for the third time, bringing the score to 5-5 and eventually sending the game to extra innings.

In the 12th, another Aaron Rowand hit began a rally that culminated in the intentional walk of Carl Everett, which loaded the bases for the White Sox with no outs. Joe Crede, invisible on the day until now, hit a bloop single above second base to drive in the winning run, which gave Chicago a 2-0 lead in the series.

Final Score: Houston Astros: 5, Chicago White Sox: 6
Winning Pitcher: Luis Vizcaino (1-0) - 0.00 ERA, 2 K
Losing Pitcher: Dan Wheeler (0-1) - 4.15 ERA, 4 K
Player of the Game: Aaron Rowand - 3 for 5, 2 HR, 2 RBIs

Game 3 - Offensive Onslaught

MLB 2006
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
Jon Garland versus Roy Oswalt
Chicago leads the series 2-0

Heading back to the home confines of the stadium formerly known as Enron Field, now called Minute Maid Park, Houston was ready to get back on the win train in the hopes of riding it all the way to Title Town. Sox ace Garland had other plans in mind, so he came out dealing heat early in the game. A second-inning triple by Scott Podsednik put the White Sox in great position to take an early lead, but Roy Oswalt struck out both A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Crede to dig himself out of a hole to get to the next inning.

A sweep in the making? Jon Garland looked to make Astros' lives a nightmare from the mound.
A sweep in the making? Jon Garland looked to make Astros' lives a nightmare from the mound.

In the third, a single to right field from Morgan Ensberg sent Jason Lane to third--and eventually home--after an Adam Everett sacrifice play. It was clear the Astros were willing to trade outs for runs, and their small-ball strategy was evident throughout the entire game. Brad Ausmus showed surprising speed for a catcher in his next at-bat by beating out a slightly errant throw to first. However, Houston manager Phil Garner's refusal to put the next better, Roy Oswalt, in position for a sacrifice bunt had Astros fans scratching their heads in confusion.

The fifth inning was a successful one for the South Siders, as they started off with Scott Podsednik playing some small ball of his own by laying down a bunt single and then stealing second base. He would soon be sent home by a Paul Konerko RBI. Pierzynski would also add an RBI of his own to bring the score to 4-1 heading in to the bottom half of the fifth. Garland, in control of a one-run game from the mound, was also hot at the plate, knocking a bloop single over the shortstop's head in the sixth.

Garland's hopes for racking up another complete game in the playoffs were dashed when he loaded the bases with no outs, only to be replaced by Luis Vizcaino. Despite allowing one run, there was simply no way the White Sox could blow this large a lead late in the game. Chicago managed 24 hits in the game to go along with eight runs, thus winning game three of the World Series 8-2.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox: 8, Houston Astros: 2
Winning Pitcher: Jon Garland (1-0) - 2.16 ERA, 5 K
Losing Pitcher: Roy Oswalt (0-1) - 7.71 ERA, 6 K
Player of the Game: Scott Podsednik - 4 for 6, Double, 3 Singles, 1 RBI

Game 4 - Avoiding the Sweep

ESPN MLB 2K5
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
Freddy Garcia versus Brandon Backe
Chicago leads the series 3-0

While the Chicago White Sox would have loved to have won their first World Series since 1917 at home, the team was fully prepared to close things out in Houston, should a sweep be in the cards. Houston, on the other hand, wasn't looking to get squeezed in Minute Maid Park, as the team was hoping to stay alive in a series it had quickly lost control of. Two runs early in the game by the 'Stros put an exclamation mark on that point, as the Sox's Freddy Garcia looked shaky from the get-go. Aaron Rowand didn't help his Chicago teammates in the next inning, as he committed a crucial error that gave up three bases to Morgan Ensberg, letting the Astros rack up two more runs to bring the score to 4-0.

Juan Uribe was tough in Game 4, but he wouldn't be enough to stave off the rallying Astros.
Juan Uribe was tough in Game 4, but he wouldn't be enough to stave off the rallying Astros.

Scott Podsednik got the White Sox on the board in the fifth inning thanks to some powerful hitting, but a crucial baserunning error was made by Juan Uribe, who was called out on an ill-advised attempt to turn a double into a triple. And a nicely turned double play in the bottom half of the inning stopped Houston before it could add more runs to its total. Chicago kept chipping away at the lead in the sixth, though, by adding another run to its score. However, the Sox left two men stranded on base in the process.

After the Astros added another run in the bottom of the sixth, Chicago's Juan Uribe knocked in a speedy Joe Crede to bring the game back to within two. But it wouldn't be enough, as Brad Lidge was called in to relieve Chad Qualls...and he dealt heat the likes of which the Sox hadn't seen all series. After sending the final two batters back to the bench like naughty children without supper, Lidge and his teammates exhaled a bit knowing they were still alive in the Series--with one more game to play at home.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox: 3, Houston Astros: 5
Winning Pitcher: Brandon Backe (1-0) - 3.18 ERA, 5 K
Losing Pitcher: Freddy Garcia (0-1) - 5.40 ERA, 2 K
Player of the Game: Jason Lane - 2 for 4, 2 RBIs

Game 5 - Houston, We Have Liftoff

MVP Baseball 2005
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
Roger Clemens versus Jose Contreras
Chicago leads the series 3-1

A pitchers' duel of sorts erupted between Clemens and Contreras in game one of the World Series, and Houston was hoping the same would occur in game five, except with a different final outcome from the opener. While the pitching was decent in the first few innings, the defensive play was sterling--especially that of Houston center fielder Willy Taveras, who managed to rob Paul Konerko of a home run with a jaw-dropping grab over the center-field wall.

Lance Berkman kept Houston alive with gritty play off the plate and in the field.
Lance Berkman kept Houston alive with gritty play off the plate and in the field.

Tadahito Iguchi, a no-show in the first four games of the series, finally found his bat in game five...if you call a bloop single to shallow center "finding your bat." Nonetheless, Iguchi would make it home on an Aaron Rowand double to give the White Sox their first lead of the game. An RBI single from Jason Lane--one that should have been a home run if not for the shallow left-field wall at Minute Maid Park--tied the game up once again. The seesaw battle continued in the fifth, as Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman each knocked in RBIs to put Houston up for the first time in the game.

Both Houston and Chicago added runs in the seventh inning to keep both the game tight and baseball fans biting their fingernails. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Houston made the most of a perfect opportunity to close out game five so it could send things back to Chicago, but not before loading the bases with White Sox who were eager to score. A sigh of relief echoed throughout Minute Maid Park, as the series was headed to game six.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox: 3, Houston Astros: 4
Winning Pitcher: Roger Clemens (1-1) - 2.57 ERA, 1 K
Losing Pitcher: Jose Contreras (1-1) - 4.50 ERA, 2 K
Player of the Game: Lance Berkman - 2 for 2, 2 RBIs, 1 BB

Game 6 - Signature Win

MLB 2006
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox
Andy Pettitte versus Mark Buehrle
Chicago leads the series 3-2

Would game six be the clincher for Chicago? Could Houston keep the series alive? Where had the White Sox's dominant pitching gone? These were just a few of the questions running through baseball fans' minds on the eve of game six of the World Series, which saw game action returning to the South Side of Chicago.

It would take Chicago three innings to get its first hit of the game, an A.J. Pierzynski single, which was followed immediately by a Joe Crede single. The first good scoring chance for the White Sox ended in futility, however, thanks to some solid defense from the Astros infield, which included a fantastic diving grab by shortstop Adam Everett to close out the third inning. Houston struck first in the fourth with successive singles from Morgan Ensberg and Orlando Palmeiro, and the inning ended with an Adam Everett hit that put Houston up by one run.

Coming off the DL long enough to be a hero. The Big Hurt came up big to close out the series.
Coming off the DL long enough to be a hero. The Big Hurt came up big to close out the series.

Eight shutout innings from Andy Pettitte later, and the White Sox found themselves in the place no one expected them to be: up against the wall and about to be forced in to a deciding game seven against a team they had, at one point, been up 3-0 in the series. The dull, dissatisfied murmur in the stadium indicated the crowd's displeasure with this turn of events. After A.J. Pierzynski came to the plate to sacrifice Aaron Rowand to second, it came down to designated hitter Frank Thomas, the longtime White Sox player, who managed to drive home Rowand to keep the game alive for the Sox. Willie Harris, in for the slumping Tadahito Iguchi, tried to win the game for the Sox but was called out at first trying to beat out the throw. Nonetheless, the White Sox were still alive as the game headed to extra innings.

Carl Everett and Tim Perez got on base in the bottom of the 10th, and Jermaine Dye loaded the bases with one out. It came down to Aaron Rowand, who had been huge for Chicago in previous games, to close things out for good. The winning run, scored by Everett after a controversial play at the plate, gave Chicago the World Series win it had been seeking for close to 90 years. It should be noted that Chicago's Mark Buehrle, in true White Sox fashion, pitched a 10-inning complete game and earned 14 strikeouts in the process.

Final Score: Houston Astros: 1, Chicago White Sox: 2
Winning Pitcher: Mark Buehrle (1-0) - 0.90 ERA, 14 K
Losing Pitcher: Dan Wheeler (0-2) - 9.00 ERA, 0 K
Player of the Game: Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas - 1 for 1, Double, RBI

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