Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 17: Failed Rallies

Game 3, 2005 World Series: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros

October 25, 2005, Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas

White Sox lead series 2-0

The 2005 World Series was supposed to be a celebration for the Houston Astros. Finally, after five empty playoff appearances since 1997, they had escaped the National League and were on baseball's biggest stage. They were up against the White Sox, who had played in the postseason only five times since losing the 1919 World Series on purpose.

The Astros had the postseason experience, but the White Sox had home field advantage in the first two games, and they left Chicago with a 2-0 lead. In Game 1, Astros pitcher Roger Clemens got hurt and left after two innings, putting the rest of his series in doubt. In Game 2, the Astros took a 4-2 lead, gave it back on a Paul Konerko grand slam, then tied the game in the 9th. Then White Sox centerfielder Scott Podsednik, who didn't hit a home run during the regular season, hit his second home run of the postseason to walk off the Astros.

Now trailing the series 2-0, the Astros got exactly what they needed in Game 3, with Roy Oswalt shutting the White Sox down early while the Astros built a lead. It was a 4-0 Houston lead through four innings when the wheels started to fall off for the Astros.

AJ Pierzynski was at his most punchable
in 2005.

It started with a Joe Crede home run leading off the top of the 5th. Normally that's not a big deal - a solo home run in a 4-0 game generally isn't back-breaking. But that was following by hit after hit after hit. Four White Sox singles later, with a couple of outs mixed in, A.J. Pierzynski was up with a chance to give Chicago the lead. And Pierzynski delivered, hitting a double to the deepest part of the ballpark to give the White Sox the 5-4 lead.

The shell-shocked Astros needed three innings just to get their next hit, but it was a big one: a two out  double by Jason Lane that tied it in the 8th.

From there, the game became a classic not because of great clutch hitting, but because of opportunities that went lacking. Orlando Hernandez walked three Astros and had a throwing error to load the bases in the 9th, but Morgan Ensberg struck out with the bases loaded to send the game to extra innings. Twice in extra innings, Houston had two runners on base with two outs; twice their rally ended with ground outs to the pitcher. 

For their part, the White Sox didn't do much offensively in extra innings until a leadoff hit in the top of the 14th. That runner was erased by a great diving stop by Ensberg at third that turned into a double play, but Geoff Blum followed that by slicing a three-iron hitting a low line drive that barely cleared the fence in right for a go-ahead home run. The White Sox added one more on a bases loaded walk before the stunned Astros could escape the inning.

The Astros tried to get something going in the bottom of the 14th, and they were helped by a two-out error by Juan Uribe that put two runners on base. But the White Sox asked Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle to come out of the bullpen, and he got Adam Everett to pop out for the final out.

After losing two straight devastating game, the Astros didn't have much fight left, getting only five hits in a 1-0 Game 4 loss that gave the White Sox the sweep.

Game 3, 2005 World Series Overall Rank: 17 Top 10 Swing: 212 Top play: Geoff Blum's 14th-inning home run (WPA of 41% for Chicago) Loser's largest WE: 91 B4, no out, Houston up 3-0 Average LI: 1.89 Highest leverage moment: 6.39 (tied 5-5, B9, bases loaded, 2 out, Morgan Ensberg up)