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Un  Poquito de Béisbol Con Sabor Bilingüe

By Raquel Julich, La Primera Dama de Deportes

[email protected]

Special to La Prensa

THE FINAL 2 GAMES OF THE 2005 WORLD SERIES TIDBITS

Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros – Minute Maid Park – Houston, Texas.

The “juice box” roof was opened, the skies were clear, temperature was 61 degrees.

The White Sox defeated the Houston Astros in a 4-game sweep to end the World Series.

The last time Chicago won the World Series was in 1917; there were 16 teams playing in Major League Baseball.  Can you name the teams?

The 2005 World Series was seen in 246 countries and heard in 12 languages.

1.
GAME 3.  Chicago 7 – Houston 5
It was the longest games in World Series History. 14 innings.  Time of the game: 5:41.
The 43 players used by both teams is a World Series record.
Chicago used 14 players, including 2 catchers and 9 pitchers.
Houston used 14 players, including catcher and 8 pitchers.
The game was played in a National League Park without the Designated Hitter (DH) – Chicago pitcher, Jon Garland batted 3 times – Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt batted once.
482 pitches were thrown – 245 by the White Sox – 237 by the Astros.
The combined 30 players left on base is a World Series record.  Both teams stranded 15.
A sellout crowd of 42,848 in Houston’s Minute Maid Park watched as former Astros 2^nd base, Geoff Blum helped Chicago win the game with a tiebreaking, two-out solo homer against Ezequiel Astacio, Houston’s 7^th pitcher in the game.

Dominican pitchers, Damaso Marte won for Chicago – Rookie, Ezequiel Astacio took the loss for Houston.

Flashback:  In the history of Major League Baseball, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 World Series deficit.  Only one team has come back from 3-0 in any round in the postseason.  During the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox came back against the New York Yankees.

GAME 4 – Chicago 1 – Houston 0

After 7 scoreless innings, Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye singled home the only run in the eighth inning for the White Sox to beat the Houston Astros.  Chicago wins their first World Series title in 88 years and Jermaine Dye becomes the Series MVP.

Venezuelan, Freddy García pitched 7 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, strikes out 7.  He threw 107 pitches to get the win of the final game of the World Series.  Brad Lidge lost the game for Houston, his second loss during the “October Classic.”

Chicago won the World Series in a 4 game sweep with Latino Pitchers, José Contreras who won Game 1, Damaso Marte, Game 3 and Freddy García, Game 4.  Houston Astros lost their games with Willie Rodríguez pitching Game 1 and Ezequiel Astacio in Game 3.

Ozzie Guillien becomes the first Venezuelan Manager to win a World Series.

Chicago won the World Series with a $69M payroll.  The White Sox lineup of Podsednik, Iguchi, Dye, Konerko, Everett, Rowand, Pierzynski, Crede and Uribe, in 2005 earned a combined salary total of $26,575,000.00 per season.  The Yankees 3^rd base Alex Rodríguez earns $25,705,118 per season.

And, so ended the “1919 Curse of the Black Sox” in Chicago.

NEXT WEEK: THE ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD.