The Chicago White Sox clinched their first postseason series victory since 2005 on Wednesday, defeating the Houston Astros 7-3 at Daikin Park. This victory completed a two-game sweep of the American League Wild Card Series for a young and resilient White Sox roster, moving them forward to the American League Division Series.
Chicago capitalized on a pivotal four-run sixth inning, highlighted by second baseman Chase Meidroth’s decisive three-run home run off Houston reliever Bryan Abreu. The offensive surge followed a critical defensive hold in the bottom of the fifth inning, where relief pitcher Anthony Kay escaped a bases-loaded jam by retiring Jose Altuve on a flyout to preserve a narrow 4-3 lead.
Historic Turnaround and Early Game Surge
The White Sox established a major league milestone by reaching the postseason following three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including a 121-loss campaign in 2024. Under the leadership of second-year manager Will Venable, the franchise completed a remarkable turnaround to capture the final AL wild-card spot.
Continuing the momentum from their Game 1 victory, Chicago pounced on Houston ace Hunter Brown in the opening frame of Game 2. Benefiting from defensive miscues and a leadoff double by Sam Antonacci, the White Sox forced Brown out of the game before the first inning concluded. Brown was charged with four runs-three earned-on five hits and one walk over just two outs and 36 pitches.
Astros Battle Back Before Meidroth Blow
Houston fought back through solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve off White Sox starter Sean Burke, narrowing Chicago’s lead to 4-3 by the fourth inning. Altuve’s shot marked the 28th postseason home run of his career, placing him second all-time behind Manny Ramirez.
The Astros maintained pressure into the fifth inning, loading the bases with two outs against the Chicago bullpen. However, Anthony Kay induced a fly ball from Altuve to extinguish the threat.
In the top of the sixth, after walks issued by Peter Lambert to Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, Houston turned to Bryan Abreu. Meidroth delivered the decisive stroke by driving an Abreu slider over the wall in left field, extending the lead to 7-3.
Bullpen Closes Out the Sweep
With a comfortable margin, the White Sox bullpen locked down the final innings. Jordan Hicks struck out three batters across two perfect frames, and Erick Fedde secured the final outs to seal the postseason series sweep.
The defeat extends the Astros’ home postseason losing streak to nine consecutive games, concluding an 81-81 regular-season campaign that raised questions regarding the team’s roster depth and future direction under front office changes.
The White Sox now advance to face the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series, with play scheduled to begin over the weekend in Cleveland.
