NEWS FLASH
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—The South Side just did the impossible, and it did it with swagger.
The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Wednesday night to sweep their American League wild-card series — the franchise’s first playoff series win since sweeping those same Astros in the 2005 World Series.
It took 21 years. It took a 121-loss season two years ago. And it took a team nobody outside 35th and Shields believed in. The White Sox are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth — and now they’ve won a round.
Chicago jumped on Astros ace Hunter Brown for four runs in the first inning, then held off a Houston rally — three solo homers from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve, the 28th postseason homer of Altuve’s career — before second baseman Chase Meidroth crushed a three-run homer in the sixth to break it open.
“I’m proud of the guys,” manager Will Venable said. “They’re probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot.”
Next up: the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, beginning Saturday, October 3, in Cleveland.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for ALDS coverage and everything from the South Side celebration.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
