World Series Game 2: Sox 7, Astros 6

Monday, October 24, 2005
Scott Podsednik was clearly out of his element.
The White Sox outfielder sprinted out of the batter's box way too quickly, hit the first-base bag like he was legging out a triple, and didn't give a pump of his fist until he was almost at second base.
Yes, Podsednik was clearly out of his element. Then again, it's not often the slap-hitting leadoff hitter is able to end a game with one swing, let alone move his team one step closer to ending an 88-year run of baseball futility.
After going the entire regular season without a home run, Podsednik connected for his second of the postseason Sunday night. And the magnitude of his latest long ball could be talked about on the South Side for years to come, considering the stage on which it was delivered.
With Game 2 of the World Series tied in the bottom of the ninth and Houston's best reliever on the mound in Brad Lidge, Podsednik hit just the 14th walk-off home run in World Series history and the first ever by a Sox player, giving his team a 7-6 win at U.S. Cellular Field, as well as a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
"To hit one out to win the game is pretty much indescribable," Podsednik said. "Luckily, I got into a good hitter's count, 2-and-1, and I was looking fastball the entire time. I was able to get good wood on it and get it out of the park."
He had some motivation.
Two innings earlier, with the Sox trailing 4-2 and the bases loaded with two outs, he watched teammate Paul Konerko hit the Sox's first-ever postseason grand slam.
"I recall standing out in left field after Paulie did what he did, thinking, 'Man, what does that man feel like right now?' " Podsednik said.
He would soon know.
More important, history is now on the Sox's side to capture their first World Series title since 1917. The latest win marked the 50th time a team has taken a 2-0 lead in a World Series. Of the previous 49, 38 have gone on to win the Fall Classic.
The Sox weren't getting fitted for rings just yet, however.
"We have 25 guys pulling on the same rope," Podsednik said. "You can't get to where we are with just a couple of guys performing. We understand that we haven't accomplished anything yet. We've got to close this out before we can say we did that."
If it's up to Astros manager Phil Garner, that won't be an easy task for the Sox.
"We're certainly not in a good spot," Garner said. "We had a good chance to win this ballgame, as badly as we've played. We'll bounce back; we'll make a series out of this. I'm confident we can come back, but I'm upset. I want to win a ballgame."
Garner and his players had their chances.
On a night when the weather was bad, Sox starter Mark Buehrle was average and Houston hurler Andy Pettitte was flat-out good, it was a grind-it-out game from the start.
It wasn't a good sign the Astros got on the scoreboard first, considering the Sox had scored first in seven of the nine postseason games they had played leading up to Sunday.
Morgan Ensberg broke that trend, getting to Buehrle for a solo home run on the first pitch of the second inning.
The Sox have made a living capitalizing on mistakes made by opponents throughout the season, though, and did that yet again in the bottom of the second.
After Aaron Rowand and A.J. Pierzynski had back-to-back one-out singles, Joe Crede tied the game with an RBI single off Pettitte. Up came Juan Uribe, who hit what appeared to be a sure popout to second baseman Craig Biggio in short right field. But as the veteran Biggio was backpedaling, he misjudged the ball and it glanced off his glove, landing in the grass in shallow right field. Crede was out at second on a force, but Pierzynski scored, Uribe getting credit for an RBI on the fielder's choice.
It was the last run Pettitte surrendered, as the southpaw went six innings, allowing eight hits.
Buehrle's night was a bit tougher than that.
The Astros tied the game in the third when Lance Berkman had a sacrifice fly to score speedy Willy Taveras (triple) from third. Houston seemingly then took control of the game in the fifth when Berkman ripped a two-run double into the left-field corner as the Astros went out in front 4-2.
Pettitte didn't come out for the bottom of the seventh, as the pressure moved to Houston's relievers. It was pressure they did not withstand.
Right-hander Dan Wheeler gave up a one-out double to Uribe. After Podsednik struck out, Tadahito Iguchi drew a walk. Then, on a 3-and-2 pitch to Jermaine Dye, the Sox appeared to get a bit of luck go their way once again. An inside pitch appeared to hit Dye's bat and deflect into foul territory, but home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that it hit Dye and awarded him first base.
Garner came out to argue, but to no avail.
"(Nelson) said it was his call," Garner said. "I asked him to check the ball to see if it had a black mark on it, but the ball was already gone. Clearly, (the Sox) can't do anything wrong. Every break is going their way. I kind of thought we turned that around, but it didn't end up that way."
Garner then made a pitching change, bringing in Chad Qualls to face Konerko. The move didn't result in the success Garner was hoping for, as Konerko hit the first pitch from Qualls an estimated 383 feet for a grand slam and a 6-4 Sox lead.
"It's the second-best feeling I've had all week," Konerko said. "I had the baby born Tuesday night and that's first. This team is just so selfless, we're just trying to win the game. It's kind of an out-of-body thing."
One of the Game 1 heroes, Bobby Jenks, came in to close the game out in the top of the ninth, but Houston had other ideas, as pinch-hitter Jose Vizcaino tied matters up with a two-run single before Neal Cotts came on to get the last out.
While that would have been demoralizing for most teams, all it did was set the stage for more Sox dramatics.
"When they tied the game up in the ninth ... I mean, it's like playing ourselves out there," Konerko said. "(The Astros) have a lot of heart. But no one was down. We were like, 'Everyone loves Bobby, we're not going to let him go home tonight with this.' We didn't think it would end so quick ... or by (Podsednik).
"This was a big game, but there's still a lot of work to be done. We've got to win two before they win four."

Source: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/