White Sox sweep Astros for first playoff series win since 2005
First-Inning Pounce and Chase Meidroth’s Decisive Home Run
Chicago established an early lead in the first inning by scoring four runs against Houston starting pitcher Hunter Brown, who was lifted after recording just two outs. According to the source, Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi, and Tristan Peters drove in the opening runs as the Astros’ defense committed two errors.
Houston chipped away at the deficit through solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve. Altuve’s fourth-inning shot to left field marked the 28th postseason home run of his career, placing him second in MLB history behind Manny Ramirez. The Astros eventually loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning, trailing 4-3, before White Sox reliever Anthony Kay retired Altuve on a flyout to escape the jam.
In the sixth inning, Chase Meidroth extended Chicago’s lead by hitting a three-run home run off reliever Bryan Abreu. As Meidroth recounted to the Associated Press, I was looking for something middle up. He’s had my number all year, really good fastball, so I got something middle up and I was able to cash in for the team. So, yeah, that was awesome.
Historic Turnaround and Managerial Perspective
The victory marks a swift reversal for a Chicago roster that lost 121 games two years prior and suffered 100-loss campaigns in each of the preceding three seasons. Led by second-year manager Will Venable, the team maintained an internal belief throughout the regular season despite outside skepticism.
As Venable told the Associated Press after the sweep, I’m proud of the guys and certainly happy for them as they’re probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot. And they maintained that belief in the beginning of the season and went throughout the season maintaining that, and they made it happen. So it’s awesome to get to this point.
The achievement also resonated with 90-year-old owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who was present at the ballpark to witness the series clincher, mirroring his attendance during the 2005 championship run in Houston. The source noted that nine players on Chicago’s active series roster were of kindergarten age or younger when the franchise last won a playoff series.
Astros’ Postseason Struggles and ALDS Matchup
For Houston, the loss extended a dismal home playoff streak, marking their ninth consecutive home postseason defeat. The AL West champions finished the regular season with an 81-81 record, becoming the first team to reach the postseason without a winning record, and were swept at home in the wild-card round for the second consecutive year following a 2024 exit against Detroit. Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez struggled during the series, collecting only one single with two strikeouts in eight at-bats.
With the wild-card sweep complete, the White Sox advance to face the American League Central champion Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series, with games scheduled to begin on Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland.