The 2005 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2005 American League postseason, began on Tuesday, October 4, and ended on Monday, October 10, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were: *(1) Chicago White Sox (Central Division champion, 99–63) vs. (4) Boston Red Sox (Wild Card, 95–67): White Sox win series, 3–0. *(2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Western Division champion, 95–67) vs. (3) New York Yankees (Eastern Division champion, 95–67): Angels win series, 3–2. The higher seed (#1 is the highest) had the home field advantage. 2005 was the first year since

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

that the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

had not participated in the ALDS. Other than the White Sox' victory in the AL Central, the participants were identical to those of the previous year. The two victorious teams went on to meet in the AL Championship Series (ALCS). The victorious White Sox advanced to defeat the National League champion

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and win the

2005 World Series The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...

, their first World Series title since

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

Matchups

Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. New York Yankees

†: Game was postponed due to rain on October 8

Chicago vs. Boston

Game 1

U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois The White Sox rocked Red Sox starter Matt Clement for five runs in the first inning. Clement hit Scott Podsednik to lead off the game. Podsednik moved to second on a groundout, then after another hit-by-pitch, stole third and scored on Paul Konerko's force out at second. Carl Everett singled before Konerko scored on Aaron Rowand's RBI single, then A. J. Pierzynski's three-run home run made it 5–0 Chicago. Konerko's home run in the third made it 6–0 White Sox. The Red Sox scored their only runs of the game in the fourth when Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek hit back-to-back singles aided by an error to put them on third and second, respectively.

Jose Contreras Jose is the English language, English transliteration of the Hebrew language, Hebrew and Aramaic language, Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods ...

's wild pitch scored Nixon, then Kevin Millar's double scored Varitek. Contreras went innings, giving up eight hits. In the bottom of the fourth, Juan Uribe's two-run home run extended Chicago's lead to 8–2 and forced Clement out of the game.

Geremi Gonzalez Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso (born 20 December 1978), known simply as Geremi, is a Cameroonian former footballer. He was a versatile player able to play at right back, right midfield or defensive midfielder, known for his power, pace, combative st ...

allowed a leadoff walk and subsequent hit-by-pitch in the sixth. One out later, a single by Uribe scored a run, then Scott Podsednik's three-run home run made it 12–2 Chicago. Podsednik had gone homerless in the regular season and this was his first home run since September 30, 2004. In the eighth, Pierzynski's second home run of the game off of Bronson Arroyo made it 13–2 Chicago. After two walks, Willie Harris's RBI single capped the scoring at 14–2 Chicago.

Cliff Politte Cliff Anthony Politte /pɒˈliːt/ (born February 27, 1974) is an American former professional baseball (right-handed) relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four big league teams. He was selected in the 54th round of the 19 ...

pitched a scoreless ninth to give the White Sox a 1–0 series lead. Boston's postseason winning streak was snapped at eight games with this loss. This was the White Sox' first postseason home win since Game 1 of the 1959 World Series.

Game 2

U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois The Red Sox struck first in Game 2 on Manny Ramirez's two-run single off of Mark Buehrle with runners on second and third. In the fourth, they loaded the bases on a single, double and intentional walk before Jason Varitek's single and Trot Nixon's groundout scored a run each. David Wells ( innings, two earned runs, seven hits) looked tough, giving up only two hits in the first four innings. But in the White Sox half of the fifth, the White Sox struck pay-dirt. Carl Everett hit a leadoff single, then scored on Aaron Rowand's double. One out later, Rowand scored on Joe Crede's single. Boston second baseman's Tony Graffanino error on Juan Uribe's ground ball put two runners on and one out later, Tadahito Iguchi's three-run home run put the White Sox up 5–4, those three runs unearned. Buehrle (seven innings, four earned runs, eight hits) earned the win with the save going to Bobby Jenks.

Game 3

Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts For the first time since 1993, the White Sox secured their place in the

ALCS The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...

by beating the Red Sox in Game 3. Freddy García (five innings, five hits, three earned runs) faced Tim Wakefield ( innings, six hits, four runs). The White Sox struck first, when Juan Uribe doubled with two outs, then Scott Podsednik's double and Tadahito Iguchi's single scored a run each in the third. Back-to-back home runs by

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...

and Manny Ramirez leading off the fourth tied the game. In the sixth, Paul Konerko, with Jermaine Dye on base, hit a home run to put the White Sox in the lead for good. Ramirez's second home run of the game in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 4–3, then Damaso Marte relieved Garcia and allowed a single and two walks to load the bases with no outs. El Duque, Orlando Hernández, came in relief and induced Jason Varitek to foul out, Tony Graffanino to pop out to short, and Johnny Damon to strike out to end the inning without giving up another run. He proceeded to pitch three total innings, giving up one hit. The White Sox got an insurance run in the ninth off of Mike Timlin when A. J. Pierzynski hit a leadoff double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Juan Uribe's fielder's choice. Bobby Jenks retired the Red Sox in order in the bottom half, earning his second save of the series. This was the White Sox's first postseason series win since the

1917 World Series The 1917 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1917 season. The 14th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion New York Giants ...

Composite line score

2005 ALDS (3–0): Chicago White Sox over Boston Red Sox

Los Angeles vs. New York

Game 1

Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California The Yankees were able to get to AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colón early. Three two-out singles loaded the bases in the top of the first, then rookie Robinson Canó lifted a line drive over the reaching hand of left fielder Garret Anderson. The double would clear the bases, giving the Yankees a 3–0 lead. Next inning,

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

singled with two outs, moved to second on a hit-by-pitch, and scored on Jason Giambi's single. Though Colón and Scot Shields held the Yankees scoreless for the rest of the game, starter Mike Mussina pitched innings.

Bengie Molina Benjamin José Molina (born July 20, 1974), nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006), San Francisco Giants (2 ...

's home run in the seventh off of Tanyon Sturtze put the Angels on the board. In the ninth, Mariano Rivera walked Vladimir Guerrero with one out. After stealing second, Guerrero scored on Darin Erstad's single, but Rivera retired the next two batters to give the Yankees a 1–0 series lead.

Game 2

Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California In Game 2, the starters were John Lackey for the Angels and Chien-Ming Wang for the Yankees. The Yankees scored the first run of the game in the second when Hideki Matsui and Robinson Canó hit back-to-back doubles. They made it 2–0 in the fifth after Alex Rodríguez walked, moved to third on Jason Giambi's double and scored on

Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. He is a sports agent. For most of his career, Sheffield played right ...

's ground out. The Angels got on the board in the bottom of that inning on Juan Rivera's home run. In the sixth, Alex Rodríguez's error allowed Orlando Cabrera to make it to first base. He would move to second on Vladimir Guerrero's ground out and score on

's single, tying the game at two. In the next inning, Wang's throwing error would allow Jeff DaVanon and Steve Finley to reach third and second, respectively. Both scored on Cabrera's single, giving the Angels a 4–2 lead. In the eighth, Molina's home run off of Al Leiter extended the Angels lead to three. In the ninth, Jorge Posada's home run off of Francisco Rodriguez cut the lead back to two, but K. Rod retired the next three batters to end the game and tie the series heading to New York.

Game 3

Yankee Stadium (I) in the Bronx, New York In Game 3, it was Randy Johnson pitching for the Yankees while Paul Byrd pitched for the Angels. Johnson ran into trouble early, giving up a three-run home run to Garret Anderson in the first after back-to-back two-out singles and a two-run homer to

in the third to give the Angels a 5–0 lead. After allowing a double and single in the fourth without getting an out, Johnson was taken out of the game while being booed. The Yankees rallied in the bottom of the inning. First, Hideki Matsui homered to put the Yanks on the board 5–1. Then Robinson Canó and Bernie Williams hit back to back singles and moved one base each on a groundout. Canó scored on Jorge Posada's groundout and Williams on

's single. After a walk, Brendan Donnelly relieved Byrd and Jason Giambi's single scored Jeter and cut the Angels' lead to one. In the next inning, after Matsui walked, Canó doubled to left and a throwing error by Cabrera allowed Matsui to score and Canó to go to third. Scot Shields relieved Donnelly and gave up a sacrifice fly to Bernie Williams that scored Canó, giving the Yankees a 6–5 lead, but in the sixth Reliever Aaron Small allowed a one-out double to Juan Rivera before Darin Erstad's RBI single tied the game. After a strikeout and single, Chone Figgins's RBI single put the Angels back in front 7–6. Tom Gordon allowed a leadoff single and subsequent hit-by-pitch before Garret Anderson's RBI single made it 8–6 Angels. Two errors loaded the bases before Steve Finley's RBI groundout off of Al Leiter made it 9–6 Angels. In the eighth, Leiter allowed a leadoff triple, then after a one-out intentional walk, back-to-back RBI singles by José Molina and Anderson off of Scott Proctor made it 11–6 Angels. The Yankees got only one more run on Jeter's leadoff home run in the eighth off of Kelvim Escobar as the Angels' 11–7 win put them one win away from the

Game 4

Yankee Stadium (I) in the Bronx, New York The Angels struck first in Game 4, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth on two doubles by Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera off Yankees starting pitcher Shawn Chacón after a leadoff walk. The Yankees cut the lead to one in the bottom of the inning when Alex Rodriguez walked, moved to second on a groundout and scored on

's single off Angels starting pitcher John Lackey. In the bottom of the next inning, Robinson Canó singled and Jorge Posada walked off of Scot Shields. They would score on singles from Rubén Sierra and

. Al Leiter earned the win in relief and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect eighth and ninth as the Yankees won 3–2 to force a Game 5 back in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

Game 5

Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California Game 5 had the same starting pitchers as in Game 1, Bartolo Colón for the Angels and Mike Mussina for the Yankees. Colón left the game in the second inning after walking Robinson Canó (who was caught stealing) due to a hand injury and giving up two hits in the first and was relieved by Ervin Santana, who walked Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada. Williams scored on

Bubba Crosby Richard Stephen "Bubba" Crosby (born August 11, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. He is best known for his tenure as a backup outfielder for the Yankees, whe ...

's single and Posada on

's sacrifice fly as the Yankees took an early 2–0 lead. Mussina, however, after pitching a perfect first, allowed a leadoff home run to Garret Anderson in the second to cut the lead to one. Then,

singled to center. After getting two outs, Mussina walked Steve Finley before Adam Kennedy hit the ball to right center.

and

collided on the outfield wall trying to catch it, allowing Molina and Finley to score to give the Angels a 3–2 lead. Next inning, Mussina allowed back-to-back leadoff singles to put runners on first and third, then Anderson's sacrifice fly scored a run. After a single again put runners on first and third, Darin Erstad's RBI single extended the Angels' lead to 5–2. Mussina was pulled from the game one out later in his shortest postseason start ever. Randy Johnson, making his first postseason relief appearance since Game 7 of the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Yankees, kept the Angels scoreless for the rest of the game, allowing just three hits. Jeter's home run in the seventh off Santana cut the lead to two. Jeter opened the ninth with a single off closer Francisco Rodríguez, but Alex Rodriguez grounded into a double play. Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield both hit singles afterward, but Hideki Matsui grounded out to first to end the game. The Angels would face the Chicago White Sox in the

Composite line score

2005 ALDS (3–2): Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over New York Yankees

Footnotes

References

External links