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World Series Notebook - Game 3 Sox sock it to Astros; Pierzynski keys 5-run 5th inning uprising; Blum ends it in 14 Rick Gagliano | 10/26/05
In a series that was supposed to be about two teams with superior starting pitching, this game came down to the relievers after the hitters had their way in the early innings. Geoff Blum ended the longest game in World Series history with a two-out homer in the 14th leading to a 7-5 Chicago win and a 3-0 lead in the series.
The Astros, needing a win to prevent them from falling into an 0-3 hole, sent Roy Oswalt to the mound, and through four innings all systems were go as the Astros jumped on White Sox pitcher Jon Garland for 4 early runs.
Houston's Craig Biggio led off the bottom of the first with a sharp double into the left-center gap. After Willy Taveras failed to get a bunt down, Lance Berkman delivered with a liner down the left field line, sending Biggio to the plate for a 1-0 lead. That was all Houston could muster as Morgan Ensberg grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Adam Everett legged out a broken bat dribbler to short, and after Oswalt had bunted him over to second, Biggio came through with his second hit of the game, a solid single to right, sending Everett to the plate. Biggio held at first. Garland then got Taveras on strikes, but Lance Berkman moved Biggio over to third with a nicely stroked single to right. Morgan Ensberg served a single into left to get Biggio home with the Astros' third run.
In Houston's 4th, Jason Lane homered to left-center to lead off the inning, making it 4-0.
But in the fifth, Houston had a problem.
In Chicago's half of the 5th, Joe Crede led off the inning by launching one into the right field stands to get the White Sox on the board. Oswalt then left a breaking ball up to Juan Uribe, who dumped it into left field. Garland could not get the bunt down and struck out, but Scott Podsednik squirted one through the right side to put runners on first and second. Tadahito Iguchi slapped a single up the middle and Uribe scored, drawing the Sox within 2 runs.
With one out and the count full, Jermaine Dye poked at a low slider and deposited it into center. Podsednik scored and Iguchi held at second. Konerko popped out to center for the second out. Catcher A. J. Pierzynski laced a rocket-shot double into the right-center gap to score both Iguchi and Dye, putting the Sox ahead, 5-4. It was the sixth hit of the inning - the most Oswalt had given up in a single frame all season. Rowand walked to put runners on first and second, and then Oswalt plunked Joe Crede in the ribs, eliciting an angry reaction from the White Sox third baseman and a heated war of words between Sox outfielder Carl Everett and Astros' manager Phil Garner. Mercifully, Oswalt coaxed a fly ball to right from Jose Uribe to end the inning.
Oswalt, in what had to be among his worst innings as a professional, threw 46 pitches in the 5th. He entered the frame with a 4-0 lead and left it down 5-4 and Houston's season in a precarious predicament. He allowed 5 runs on 6 hits a walk and a hit batsman. The Sox sent a total of 11 men to the plate and left them loaded.
After Lane's lead-off home run in the 4th, Chicago's Jon Garland set down 9 in a row and gave up only a leadoff walk in the 7th, holding the Astros hitless from the fourth through seventh innings.
In the bottom of the 8th, Cliff Politte relieved Garland, who had thrown 93 pitches. Politte got Taveras to fly out, struck out Lance Berkman, but walked Ensberg and was lifted for Neal Cotts, who promptly issued a free pass to Mike Lamb. With that, manager Ozzie Guillen turned to his best closer during the regular season, Dustin Hermanson, who had not seen action in the post-season, to preserve the lead.
Hermanson could not shake off the rust. After getting two strikes, Jason Lane fired a bullet down the left field line which scored Ensberg with the tying run. But the lanky pitcher responded to the threat, striking out Ausmus to finish the inning and settle down the partisan crowd.
After that, the relief corps for both teams took over, sending the game into World Series history. The teams dueled into the 14th inning, matching the longest World Series game ever, a 1916 complete game win by Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox over the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In the top of the 14, Houston pitcher Pedro Astacio gave up a lead-off single to Dye, but got Konerko to ground into a double play. But Astacio could not get a 2-0 pitch past Geoff Blum, a seldom used sub who came in to play second in the previous inning. Blum took the pitch down the line in right and out, giving the White Sox a lead they would not relinquish.
The White Sox added another run as Astacio surrendered consecutive singles to Joe Crede and Aaron Rowand, then back-to-back walks to Uribe and Chris Widger.
The game was the longest - lasting 5 hours and 41 minutes - in World Series history and also was a record for players, as the two teams combined to use 43. The Sox now have won seven straight and nine of ten in the playoffs and World Series. The White Sox will try to end it all in Game Four, starting Freddie Garcia against Houston's Brandon Backe.
The FOX broadcast has been top notch, once the unnecessary pre-game noise ends and the games actually begin. Of all the broadcast teams over the years Joe Buck and Tim McCarver rank right up there with the best in the business. Buck's play-by-play is clean and uncluttered, while McCarver provides the insights of a former player that are sensible, informative and relevant.
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