Chicago White Sox

MLB News: Houston Astros dominate to meet the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS

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The New York Yankees postseason ended with the loss in the wild card game against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have conquered the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS and will face the winner of today’s Astros White Sox game. Going into the game the Houston Astros are ahead in the series two games to one. A win today would send the Astros to the ALCS. The Astros won the game 10-1, dominating their rivals from the north.

Here is how the Houston Astros won their chance to face the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

In Game one, Lance McCullers Jr. bested the White Sox Lance Lynn. The Astros got a few small ball runs, and then Michael Brantly got a two-run dinger helping the cause. Yordan Alverez sealed the deal with a solo shot for the Astro’s sixth run in the 6-1 win.

Friday night’s Game two was more of a contest as the White Sox scored four runs to the Astros 9. The White Sox struck first in the first inning, but the Astros got it back in the second. Tim Anderson of the Sox tied a baseball record getting 12 hits in his first five postseason games. However, the tide turned for the Sox when the Astros Yuli Guirrel got a two-run homer. Two-run homers followed that by both Carlos Correa and Kyle Tucker.

Game three: With their backs against the wall, the White Sox faced elimination, but they rose to the occasion and won 12-6. Dylan Cease allowed the Astros to score three runs before being taken out of the game. Kopech replaced him, giving up another three runs. But the combo of Tepera, Bummer, Kimbrel, and Hendriks kept the Astros hitless from the fourth inning on. Meanwhile, the White got to work and tacked on six additional runs off Astro’s pitching.

In the bottom of the fourth, Leury Garcia hit a three-run homer to left, giving the White Sox the lead in the game. The eighth inning sealed the deal. Andrew Vaughn doubled driving in a run. Garcia, after already hitting a three-run homer, drove in another run in the eighth. With men on the corners, Tim Anderson would double driving in Vaughn as the game’s final run. Sox 12 Astros 6, forcing a game four.

Game four: Today, the pitchers were Lance McCullers Jr. for the Astros and Carlos Rodon for the White Sox. Jake Meyers left the game in the second inning after crashing into the wall robbing the Sox of a homer. But the Chicago White Sox got on the board first when Gavin Sheets homered off McCullers Jr. in the bottom of the second inning. But that lead would not last long as the Astros came roaring back in the third and fourth.

In the third, Carlos Correa got a two-run double to left field at Guarantee Park. In the fourth, Alex Bregman would get his two-run double into the centerfield gap scoring Martin Maldonado and Jose Altuve; Bregman scored, extending the Astro lead to 5-1. With Tepera, the fourth Sox pitcher on the mound, he held down the Astros. The fifth inning was scoreless for both teams.

The Astros, in the sixth inning, put a McCormick on second, ending Tepera’s day. Against new Sox pitcher Aaron Bummer, Brantley doubled, scoring McCormick driving in another Astros run. In the bottom, the White Sox were scoreless. Astros 6 White Sox 1.

The seventh with Bummer still in for the Sox silenced the Astros. The White Sox didn’t do any better. In the eighth, Altuve scared the Sox with a double on a Sox throwing error to first. He then stole third. Brantley singled, scoring Altuve for another Astros run. Brantley stole second. Alverez walked, but Correa ground out, but the Astros tacked on another run. The eight ended the Astros 7 White Sox 1.

In the ninth, the Houston Astros tacked on another three runs including a Jose Altuve homer that the White Sox could not recover from. The final score was the Astros 10 and the White Sox 1. The Astros won their ticket to the ALCS for the fifth time in the last five years.

AL Championship series:

The Boston Red Sox will face the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series on Friday, October 15th.

 

MLB News: Exciting day in baseball, 3 teams could reach Championship berths

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The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox in their wild card match this past Tuesday night, ending their dream of a 28th World Champion for at least this season, but there is still a lot of baseball action for baseball fans as the postseason chugs along.

American League divisional (A) series has been decided: Boston advances!

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox got to the AL divisional series by beating the New York Yankees in the wild card game. Both the Red  Sox and the Yankees had up and down seasons leading them to have the same 92-70 record. However, with the Sox having a better season record over the Yanks, they got the home-field advantage. On Tuesday night, the Red Sox ended the Yankees season with a 6-2 win.

The Tampa Bay Rays, for other than a short time, have led the AL East all season and dominated all of its AL East opponents finishing the season eight games ahead of both the Yankees and the Red Sox. Nine ahead of the Blue Jays and 48 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles that lost 110 games this season.

In the first game of the divisional series, the Tampa Bay Rays blew out the Red Sox 5-0. Shane McClanahan was dominant, holding the Red Sox scoreless. The Rays hit two home runs in the win. Veteran Nelson Cruz homered in the third inning, and the incredible Randy Arozarena made history with his home run. He became the fifth player to hit a homer in 19 consecutive postseason games. He also is the first to hit a homer and steal home in the same postseason game.

Game two played Friday night; the Red Sox bested the Rays by piling on the runs. At the end of the night, it was the Red Sox 14 and the Rays 6. The Sox knocked starting pitcher newbie Shane Baz out of the game. But that was better than the Sox ace Chris Sale; he was out of the game at the end of the first inning, giving up five earned runs. Tanner Houck for the Sox got the win with five innings of one-run ball. For the Sox, it was home run heaven. Bogaerts, Verdugo, Hernandez, Martinez, and Devers all hit long balls in the game.

That tied the series at one game apiece in the five-game contest. Game three was on Sunday. Game three: The Red Sox won the game 6 to 4, giving them the one-game lead in the best of five. Nathan Eovaldi was on the mound for the Sox.

Last night was Game four: With the game tied at five apiece in the ninth with Gerret Whitlock on the mound for the Sox, Choi ground out. Diaz ground out. Meadows flew out for a seven-pitch inning. In the bottom with the ALCS on the line for the Red Sox, Christian Vazquez facing JP Feyereisen, led off with a single to left. Arroyo ground out with Vazquez moving to second. Travis Shaw pinch-hitting to Dalbec singled. Kiki Herandez, with men on the corners, hit one off the all for the walk-off win and trip to the ALCS.

The final score was the Boston Red Sox 6 and the Tampa Bay Rays 5. The winning pitcher was Gerret Whitlock, the loser was Feyereisen, and the Red Sox moved on to the American League Championship Series.

Houston Astros  vs. Chicago White Sox

In Game one, Lance McCullers Jr. bested the White Sox Lance Lynn. The Astros got a few small ball runs, and then Michael Brantly got a two-run dinger helping the cause. Yordan Alverez sealed the deal with a solo shot for the Astro’s sixth run in the 6-1 win.

Friday night’s Game two was more of a contest as the White Sox scored four runs to the Astros 9. The White Sox struck first in the first inning, but the Astros got it back in the second. Tim Anderson of the Sox tied a baseball record getting 12 hits in his first five postseason games. However, the tide turned for the Sox when the Astros Yuli Guirrel got a two-run homer. Two-run homers followed that by both Carlos Correa and Kyle Tucker.

Game three: With their backs against the wall, the White Sox faced elimination, but they rose to the occasion and won 12-6. Dylan Cease allowed the Astros to score three runs before being taken out of the game. Kopech replaced him, giving up another three runs. But the combo of Tepera, Bummer, Kimbrel, and Hendriks kept the Astros hitless from the fourth inning on. Meanwhile, the White got to work and tacked on six additional runs off Astro’s pitching.

In the bottom of the fourth, Leury Garcia hit a three-run homer to left, giving the White Sox the lead in the game. The eighth inning sealed the deal. Andrew Vaughn doubled driving in a run. Garcia, after already hitting a three-run homer, drove in another run in the eighth. With men on the corners, Tim Anderson would double driving in Vaughn as the final run of the game. Sox 12 Astros 6, forcing a game four.

Game four: After being postponed for a day due to rain, today’s game four will take place on the south side of Chicago at 2:07 pm EDT. If the Astros win today’s game, they will go to the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Today’s pitchers will be Lance McCullers Jr. for the Astros and Carlos Rodon for the White Sox. If the White Sox win, it will force a game five back at MinuteMaid Park in Houston.AL Championship series:

The Boston Red Sox will face the Houston Astros Chicago White Sox winner on Friday, October 15th.

National League divisional series:

San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

When the Dodgers won the wild card from the St. Louis Cardinals, they created history by playing in the divisional series against the San Francisco Giants for the first time since they were the New York Giants in 1889. That year the Giants won the World Series by one game over the Boston Beaneaters.

Friday was Game one against these two western rivals. The Giants scored two runs off the Dodger’s starting pitcher Walker Buehler and the game was over; the Dodgers didn’t know it at the time, but they remained scoreless off of the Giants pitching; the Giants shut them out 4-0.

Game two was Saturday at Oracle Park in San Francisco, with an altogether different outcome. The Lost Angeles Dodgers piled on nine runs to the Giants two. Thus, tying up the five-game series at one apiece.

Last night at Dodger’s Stadium, Game three was a pitcher’s duel with only one run scored on the night; it belonged to the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving them the two-game lead in the series.  Tonight is Game four elimination night for the San Franciso Giants. If the Dodgers win, they will go to the NLCS facing either the Brewers or the Braves. If the Dodgers lose, they travel back to San Francisco, forcing a game five. The game tonight is at 9:07 EDT with Anthony DeSclafani on the mound for the Giants. As of this writing, the Dodgers have not announced their starter for the game.

Atlanta Braves vs. Milwaukee Brewers

As in previous years, the Atlanta Braves have been one of the most successful baseball teams.  The Braves led the NL East by 6.5 games ahead of Joe Girardi’s Philadelphia Phillies. The New York Yankees’ claim to fame is that they won 3 of 4 against the Braves and both games at the Braves home park.

The Braves are playing the Milwaukee Brewers in the divisional series. Game one was Friday when the Brewers squeaked out a one-run lead in the 2-1 contest. Corbin Burns bested the Braves Charlie Morton. Rowdy Tellez’s two-run homer in the seventh inning sealed the deal for the Brewers.

Game two was Saturday, with the Atlanta Braves shutting out the Brewers 3-0. The game was a pitcher’s duel through the first four-inning, but in the bottom of the fifth, the Braves scored all three game runs.

In Game three yesterday, the Braves did it again, shutting them out 3-0. In the game, Joc Pederson put his name in the history book, only the third player to hit two pinch-hit homers in the same postseason.

Game four is today at 5:15 pm EDT at Truist Park In Atlanta. Neither team has announced their starters for the game at the time of this writing. If the Braves win today, they will go on to the ALCS facing the winner of the Giants/Dodgers series; if they don’t, that will force a gave five back in Milwaukee.

NL Championship series:

The San Francisco Los Angeles series winner will face the Atlanta Milwaukee series winner in the NL Championship Series on Saturday, October 16.

2021 World Series:

The AL and NL Championship Series winners will face each other in the best of seven series starting on Tuesday, October 26th.

MLB News: White Sox run explosion staved off elimination

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The New York Yankees lost to the Red Sox in the wild-card game for another early exit to the postseason, but baseball went on into the postseason. The Red Sox captured their second win in the five-game series, with Christian Vazquez hitting the walk-off homer in the 13th for only the 8th time a catcher has hit a walk-off hit.  That aside, last night, the Houston Astros had a chance to seal the deal and get to the Championship series with a win over the Chicago White Sox.

After winning the first two games in Houston, they went to Guaranteed Field in Chicago, just one win away from a Championship berth against either the Boston Red Sox or the Tampa Bay Rays. At the end of the night, the Houston Astros were still a game away from entering that Championship series. The White Sox won the game 12-6.

The Houston Astros sent Luis Garcia to the mound to face the White Sox Dylan Cease. In the first inning, the Chicago White Sox were on the board first when Eloy Jimenez hit an RBI single. However, that lead was short-lived as the Astros answered in the second with three runs of their own, including Tyler Tucker’s two-run blast followed by an RBI single. Houston Astros 3 the Chicago White Sox 1.

Unbelievably in the top of the third inning, Kyle Tucker again homered with another two-run blast. However, that was pretty much all the Astros would do in the game as the tide turned toward the boys from the south side of Chicago. With Alex Bregman’s RBI in the fourth inning, the score was tied at 6-6. At the bottom of the fourth, Jose Abreu’s RBI would put the White Sox up by one, and they would not look back.

Also, in the same inning with Zack Greinke on the mound centerfielder, Robert put the Sox up another run. Eloy Jimenez hit his second RBI in the game, also in the bottom of the fourth. The fifth, sixth and seventh innings would remain scoreless for both teams.

In the top of the eighth inning, the White Sox would come alive again, this time against the Astros’ sixth pitcher of the night, Brooks Raley. Again, it was RBI heaven for the Sox. Andrew Vaughn, Leury Garcia had an RBI double, and Tim Anderson followed with the final RBI of the game. In that process, Anderson put his name in the baseball history books by having 16 hits in his last six postseason games.

Liam Hindricks sealed the deal for the White Sox, pitching a scoreless top of the ninth inning. The final score was the White Sox 12 and the Astros 6. The winning pitcher was Michael Kopech and the loser Yimi Garcia. The divisional series is now Houston 2 White Sox 1.

The elimination game for the Sox could put the Astros into the Championship Series will take place today. October 11 at 2:37 CDT at Guaranteed Field on the south side of Chicago. Carlos Rodon will be on the mound for the Sox and Jose Urquidy for the Astros. The game will be televised on FS1. If the White Sox can win this game, it will force a game five back at MinuteMaid Park in Houston. But, on the other hand, if Houston wins it, they will have their ticket to the AL Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays or Boston Red Sox.