White Sox Sweep Astros to Clinch Historic Playoff Series Win

Historic Sweep for the White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are moving on in the playoffs. Chicago beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Wednesday to complete a sweep of their American League Wild Card Series. This is a major moment for the franchise, marking their first postseason series victory since they beat Houston in the 2005 World Series.

Under second year manager Will Venable, the White Sox have pulled off an incredible turnaround. They even had a letter of support from Pope Leo. The White Sox lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons. Now, they are the only team in major league history to reach the playoffs immediately after three consecutive 100 loss seasons.

How the Game Was Won

Chicago got to work early, scoring four runs in the first inning. This came a day after they scored three runs in the first two innings of a 6-3 win in Game 1. They took advantage of a sloppy Houston defense that made two errors in the opening frame. Houston starting pitcher Hunter Brown struggled heavily, lasting only two outs before being pulled.

The Astros tried to fight back with solo home runs from Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve. Altuve's home run was the 28th of his playoff career, putting him second in major league history behind Manny Ramirez, who has 29. The home runs cut Chicago's lead to 4-3. The Astros missed a major chance to take the lead when they loaded the bases in the fifth, but Anthony Kay got Altuve to fly out to end the threat.

In the sixth inning, Chase Meidroth sealed the win for Chicago. After walks to Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, Meidroth hit a three run home run off Bryan Abreu to push the lead to 7-3.

Trouble in Houston

The loss caps off a disappointing season for the Astros, who finished 81-81 and became the first team to reach the playoffs without a winning record. Houston fans booed their team as they lost their ninth consecutive home playoff game.

It was a tough series for Houston star Yordan Alvarez, who got just one hit and struck out twice in eight at-bats. The franchise now faces a lot of questions. Manager Joe Espada's contract is ending, and general manager Dana Brown was fired last month.