Chicago: The Chicago White Sox had their sights set on advancing to the playoffs after parting ways with the AL Central.
Stacked with stars and led by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, another early exit was not what he had imagined.
Chicago’s season ended on a high Tuesday, with a 10-1 loss to AL West champions Houston in Game 4 of a Division Series that wasn’t close.
He never got pitching and only occasionally got hitting which took him to his first division championship in 13 years and featured him in back-to-back playoffs for the first time. And after being knocked out by Oakland in the wild-card round last year, he leaned against the Astros in humble fashion.
What was not on owner Jerry Reisendorf’s mind when he helped pull La Russa out of retirement, replacing Rick Renteria, raised more than a few eyebrows.
There were big questions about how old-school, fun-loving Chicago would relate to young stars like three-time World Series champion Tim Anderson after a decade away from the dugout.
It was not smooth sailing at all. And it is unclear whether La Russa will return next season.
I’m not going to talk about myself, he said. Maybe about the fifth or sixth year after getting a little bit of security that’s the process I’ve used, do they want you back? If they don’t want you back then I just leave. They say yes, then you ask the players. They should choose who they want to manage. If you find both of these, then check yourself.
La Russa had a public disagreement with some of its players after Yerman Mercedes was scolded for homing to a 3-0 pitch during the ninth inning of a 16-4 win over Minnesota in May.
Otherwise, the White Sox looked like a contender all year, with a top-notch lineup and pitching staff.
until they ran into the October-proven Astros.
The White Sox led 15-5 and dropped the first two games in Houston without an extra-base hit. The team with the best home record in the American League took Game 3 to a guaranteed rate field 12–6, only to end up in their own ballpark.
The White Sox were banking on Carlos Rodan to help send the series back to Houston for the deciding fifth game. The left-hander, limiting the stretch with a shoulder pain, took the heat early on, only to fizzle out quickly and pass out in the third inning.
Rodan conceded a double to Jose Altuve on the first pitch of the game, then he began to settle. He retired the next three batsmen, dismissing Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez at 99 mph to end the threat.
Rodan pitted around a leadoff single by Carlos Correa in second. But he hit Altuve in the third, a few times one of a crowd of 40,170 cheered during the game, and issued back-to-back walks to load the bases with Bregman and Alvarez with two.
Korea then chased down Rodan with a two-run double to top Houston 2–1, and the White Sox never really recovered.
It was a rough end for Chicago, going 93–69 and beating Cleveland by 13 games in the division. The White Sox finished the 2005 World Series with their highest victory since the championship team’s 99–63, even though key players such as Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez missed time with injuries.
Rodden made his first All-Star team and set a career high, winning 13–5 with a 2.37 ERA. But with an expired contract, he is looking to an uncertain future.
Rodden, who has a history of arm and shoulder injuries, made just 28 innings in the final two months of the regular season.
The White Sox also did not get the start they expected from Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito or Dylan Cease in the playoffs. And now his season is over.
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