2005 World Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Chicago White Sox (4) Ozzie Guillén 99–63, .611, GA: 6 Houston Astros (0) Phil Garner 89–73, .549, GB: 11
Dates	October 22–26
Venue(s)	U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago) Minute Maid Park (Houston)
MVP	Jermaine Dye (Chicago)
Umpires	Joe West (crew chief),Jeff Nelson,Jerry Layne,Derryl Cousins,Gary Cederstrom,Ángel Hernández
Hall of Famers	White Sox: Harold Baines (Bench Coach) Tim Raines (1B Coach) Astros: Jeff Bagwell Craig Biggio
Broadcast
Television	Fox (United States) MLB International (International)
TV announcers	Joe Buck andTim McCarver (Fox) Dave O'Brien (MLB International)
Radio	ESPN WMVP (CHW) KTRH (HOU)
Radio announcers	Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (ESPN) John Rooney andEd Farmer (WMVP) Milo Hamilton andAlan Ashby (KTRH)
ALCS	Chicago White Sox overLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim (4–1)
NLCS	Houston Astros overSt. Louis Cardinals (4–2)
← 2004 World Series 2006 →

The2005 World Series was thechampionship series ofMajor League Baseball's (MLB)2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff between theAmerican League (AL) championChicago White Sox and theNational League (NL) championHouston Astros.^[1] The White Sox swept the Astros in four games, winning their third World Series championship and theirfirst in 88 years, ending theCurse of the Black Sox. The series was played between October 22–26, 2005.

Home field advantage was awarded to Chicago by virtue of the AL's 7–5 victory over the NL in the2005 MLB All-Star Game. The Astros were attempting to become the fourth consecutivewild card team to win the Series, following theAnaheim Angels (2002),Florida Marlins (2003) andBoston Red Sox (2004). Both teams were attempting to overcome decades of disappointment, with a combined 132 years between the two teams without a title. The Astros were making their first Series appearance in 44 years of play, while the White Sox had waited exactly twice as long for a title, having last won the Series in1917, and had not been in the Series since1959, three years before the Astros' inaugural season. As of 2025, this is the most recent postseason series won by the White Sox.

As part of MLB's divisional realignment in 2013, the Astros agreed to change leagues. As of 2025, Houston has won four American League pennants (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) and two World Series championships (2017 and 2022).

The Chicago White Sox finished the regular season with the best record in the American League at 99–63. The 2005 White Sox led their division wire to wire and only lost one game in the postseason. After starting the season on a tear, the White Sox began to fade in August, when a15+1⁄2 game lead (for the AL Central division title) fell all the way to1+1⁄2 at one point. However, the White Sox were able to hold off theCleveland Indians to win theAmerican League Central Division by six games, sweeping the Indians in three games on the season's final weekend. In theAmerican League Division Series, the top-seeded White Sox swept the defending championBoston Red Sox. TheAmerican League Championship Series began with the second-seededLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim winning Game 1, but a controversialuncaught third strike in Game 2 helped the White Sox start a run and win Games 2–5, all oncomplete games pitched by startersMark Buehrle,Jon Garland,Freddy García, andJosé Contreras, clinching their first American League pennant since1959. In game 3 of the ALDS Orlando Hernandez came in with the bases loaded due to Damaso Marte loading the bases with a single and back to back walks. El Duque came in and induced 2 pop outs and a strike out to end the inning and preserve the lead.

ManagerOzzie Guillén then led the White Sox to a World Series victory, their first in 88 years. SluggerFrank Thomas was not on the post-season roster because he was injured, but the team honored his perennial contributions to the franchise during Game 1 of the Division Series against the Red Sox when he was chosen to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. "What a feeling," Thomas said. "Standing all around the place. People really cheering me. I had tears in my eyes. To really know the fans cared that much about me – it was a great feeling. One of my proudest moments in the game."^[2]

The White Sox completed the 2005 postseason with an 11-1 record. The White Sox also won the last 5 regular season games and thus closed out the 2005 campaign winning 16 of the last 17 games played and 19 of their last 22 (all 3 losses by just 1 run), a record finish unmatched in all of MLB history.

The Houston Astros won the Wild Card for the second straight year, once again clinching it on the final day of the season. The Astros embarked on a memorableNational League Division Series rematch against theAtlanta Braves, who were the second seed in the National League. With the Astros in the lead two games to one, the teams played an 18-inning marathon in Game 4, which was the longest (in both time and innings played) postseason game in history. In this game, Roger Clemens made only the second relief appearance of his career, and the first in postseason play.Chris Burke'swalk-off home run ended the game in the bottom of the 18th. For the second straight year, the Astros played the top-seededSt. Louis Cardinals in theNational League Championship Series. Like the White Sox, the Astrosdropped Game 1, but were able to regroup and win Games 2–4. With the Astros on the verge of clinching their first ever National League pennant in Game 5,Albert Pujols hit a mammoth three-run home run offBrad Lidge in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, and subsequently stave off elimination. However, behind NLCS MVPRoy Oswalt, the Astros were able to defeat the Cardinals 5–1 in Game 6 and earned a trip to the World Series. With the win, this was the Astros' first World Series appearance in franchise history, and the last game played inBusch Stadium II, as it was demolished months after the game and the Cardinals moved toBusch Stadium III the next season.

Chicago (AL) won the series, 4–0.

Playing in their first World Series home game since 1959, the White Sox took an early lead with a home run fromJermaine Dye in the first inning. AfterMike Lamb's home run tied the game in the second, the Sox scored two more in the second whenJuan Uribe doubled inA. J. Pierzynski afterCarl Everett had already scored on a groundout earlier in the inning. The Astros responded in the next inning whenLance Berkman hit a double, driving inAdam Everett andCraig Biggio. In the White Sox half of the fourth,Joe Crede hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run. In the bottom of the eighth,Scott Podsednik hit a triple with Pierzynski on second off ofRuss Springer for an insurance run.Roger Clemens recorded his shortest World Series start, leaving after the second inning with 53 pitches, including 35 for strikes, due to a sore hamstring that he had previously injured (which had caused him to also miss his last regular season start) as the loss went toWandy Rodríguez.José Contreras pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits for the win. Before exiting, Contreras allowed a leadoff double by Willie Taveras with no outs.Neal Cotts entered the game in the top of the eighth inning. It marked the first time in five games that the White Sox had gone to their bullpen. Cotts pitched+2⁄3 innings beforeBobby Jenks was called upon by managerOzzie Guillén to relieve him. Guillen signaled for the large pitcher by holding his arms out wide and then up high. In the postgame conference, the Sox manager joked that he wanted to be clear he was asking for "The Big Boy." Jenks returned in the ninth to earn the save, giving the White Sox a 1–0 lead in the series. In 2025, the game also became noted for the attendance of Robert Francis Prevost, a White Sox fan, South Side native, and the futurePope Leo XIV, who was aprior for theOrder of Saint Augustine at the time and briefly appeared in a crowd shot during Fox's broadcast in the top of the 9th inning.^{[7][8][9][10]}

On a cold (51 °F (11 °C)) and rainy evening,Morgan Ensberg's first-pitch home run off starterMark Buehrle put the Astros on top in the second inning. The White Sox answered in the bottom of the second with two runs offAndy Pettitte onJoe Crede's RBI single with two on andJuan Uribe's sacrifice fly, the only runs Pettitte allowed in six solid innings. Houston'sLance Berkman tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the third after a one-out triple byWilly Taveras, then hit a two-run double in the fifth to give the Astros a 4–2 lead. In the seventh,Dan Wheeler loaded the bases with a double byJuan Uribe, a walk toTadahito Iguchi, and plate umpireJeff Nelson's ruling thatJermaine Dye was hit by a pitched ball. The Astros brought inChad Qualls, who promptly served up agrand slam toPaul Konerko on his first pitch, the18th grand slam in the annals of theFall Classic. In the top of the ninth, Sox closerBobby Jenks blew the save on a game-tying pinch-hit two-run single byJosé Vizcaíno. In the bottom of the ninth, Astros closerBrad Lidge gave up a one-out,walk-off home run—the14th in Series history—toScott Podsednik, giving Lidge his second loss in as many post-season appearances (his previous appearance was in Game 5 of2005 National League Championship Series). Podsednik had not hit a single homer in theregular season, but this was his second of thepost-season. This was the second time in World Series history where a grand slam and a walk-off home run were hit in the same game. The Oakland A'sJose Canseco (grand slam) and the Los Angeles Dodgers'Kirk Gibson (walk-off) in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series were the first to do it. Never before had a World Series grand slam and a World Series walk-off home run been hit by the same team in the same game. Until the grand slam byAdam Duvall of theAtlanta Braves in2021 World Series, the grand slam by Konerko was the last World Series grand slam hit by the home team.

Game 3 was the first World Series game played in the state of Texas. Before the game, it was ruled by CommissionerBud Selig that the retractable roof would be open at Minute Maid Park, weather permitting. The Astros objected, citing that their record in games with the roof closed was better than with the retractable roof open. Selig's office claimed that the ruling was based on the rules established by Houston and were consistent with how the Astros organization treated the situation all year long, as well as the weather forecasts for that period of time.

The game would become the longest World Series game in length of time (5 hours and 41 minutes) and tied for the longest in number of innings (14, tied with Game 2 of the1916 World Series and Game 1 of the2015 World Series) until it was surpassed by Game 3 of the2018 World Series. Houston struck early on aLance Berkman single after aCraig Biggio lead-off double in the bottom of the first off Chicago starterJon Garland. A White Sox rally was snuffed in the second inning; afterPaul Konerko hit a leadoff double andA. J. Pierzynski walked,Aaron Rowand lined out into a double play. Houston scored in the third;Adam Everett walked, was caught in a rundown and got hit by the ball on aJuan Uribe throwing error, then scored on aRoy Oswalt sacrifice bunt and a Biggio single. Two batters later,Morgan Ensberg singled Biggio home.Jason Lane led off the Astros' fourth with a home run to left-center field. It was later shown in replays that the ball should not have been ruled a home run, hitting to the left of the yellow line on the unusual wall in left-center field.

After Houston starter Roy Oswalt had thrown four shutout innings, the White Sox rallied for five runs in the top of the fifth, true to their "Win Or Die Trying" mantra of 2005, starting with aJoe Crede lead-off homer. Uribe, on first after hitting a single, scored on aTadahito Iguchi base hit with one out, followed byScott Podsednik coming home on a single byJermaine Dye. Pierzynski hit a two-out double toTal's Hill, driving in two runs, scoring Iguchi and Dye giving the Sox the lead. The Astros rallied in the last of the eighth when the Sox bullpen collapsed.Cliff Politte got two outs, but walked Ensberg and was replaced byNeal Cotts, who promptly walkedMike Lamb to put two on and forced the Sox to put their regular-season closerDustin Hermanson in place of Cotts. However, Hermanson could not hold down the save when Lane doubled to score Ensberg, but did not allow many more runs by striking outBrad Ausmus. Houston tried to rally to win in the ninth againstOrlando Hernandez, but strandedChris Burke at third, after he had walked, reached second on an error and stolen third.

The Astros tried again in the 10th as well as in the 11th, but failed each time. In the top of the 14th, after the Sox hit into a spectacular double play started by Ensberg,Geoff Blum (a former Astro and the Astros' televisioncolor analyst as of 2015), who had entered the game in the 13th, homered to right with two outs and saddled Astros relieverEzequiel Astacio with the loss. The White Sox then put men on first and second thanks to singles by Rowand and Crede, and a subsequent walk to Uribe loaded the bases forChris Widger, who walked to force home Rowand and padded the White Sox' lead to 7–5. Astacio was yanked after Widger's at-bat and was replaced by Game 1 loserWandy Rodriguez, who got the final out to prevent any further damage. Trailing by two runs, Houston tried to rally with the tying runs on first and third and two outs after a Uribe error. Game 2 starterMark Buehrle earned the save for winning pitcherDámaso Marte when Everett popped out, bringing Chicago one game closer to its first championship in 88 years. Buehrle became the first pitcher to start a game in the Series and save the next one sinceBob Turley of the Yankees in the1958 World Series.

Many records were set or tied besides time and innings: The teams combined to use 17 pitchers (nine for the White Sox, eight for the Astros), throwing a total of 482 pitches, and walking 21 batters (a dozen by Chicago, nine by Houston); 43 players were used (the White Sox used 22 and the Astros used 21), and 30 men were left on base (15 for each team), all new high-water marks in Fall Classic history. Scott Podsednik set a new all-time record with eight official at-bats in this game. One tied record was total double plays, with six (four by the Astros, two by the White Sox).

Before the game, Major League Baseball unveiled itsLatino Legends Team presented by Chevrolet.

The fourth game was the pitchers' duel that had been promised throughout the series. Both Houston starterBrandon Backe and Chicago starterFreddy García put zeros on the scoreboard through seven innings, the longest Series scoreless stretch since Game 7 of the1991 World Series.Scott Podsednik had a two-out triple in the top of the third, but aTadahito Iguchi groundout ended that threat. The Astros wasted a chance in the sixth,Jason Lane striking out with the bases loaded. The White Sox in the top of the seventh put runners at second and third, but Backe struck out shortstopJuan Uribe. Chicago broke through in the next inning against embattled Houston closerBrad Lidge, who relieved Backe.Willie Harris hit apinch-hit single. Podsednik advanced him with a sacrifice bunt.Carl Everett pinch-hit for Iguchi and grounded out to the right side to allow Harris to move to third.Jermaine Dye, theMost Valuable Player of the series, had the game-winning single, driving in Harris.

Things got a little sticky for the Sox in the Astros half of the eighth when relieverCliff Politte hitWilly Taveras, threw awild pitch, sending Taveras to second, and walkedLance Berkman. AfterMorgan Ensberg flew out to center, the White Sox managerOzzie Guillén brought inNeal Cotts to finish the inning. Cotts induced pinch-hitterJosé Vizcaíno into a ground out to Uribe.Bobby Jenks, the 24-year-oldfireballer, started the ninth inning. He allowed a single toJason Lane and a sacrifice bunt toBrad Ausmus.Chris Burke came in to pinch-hit; he fouled one off to the left side, but Uribe made an amazing catch in the stands to retire Burke.^[11]

The game ended when pinch-hitterOrlando Palmeiro grounded to Uribe to strand Lane. It was a bang-bang play asPaul Konerko caught the ball from Uribe at 11:01 pmCDT to begin the biggest celebration in Chicago since the sixth NBA championship by theBulls, co-owned with the White Sox, in1998. As a result,Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of both teams, had won seven championships overall.

This game would be the last postseason game for the Astros as a member of theNL, as they would move to theAL in2013, and not appear in a postseason game until the2015 American League Wild Card Game. They also became the only team in theMLB to win both the National and American League pennant after they defeated theNew York Yankees in the2017 ALCS.

The last two Series games technically ended on the same day, Game 3 having concluded after midnight, Houston time.

The 1–0 shutout was the first game with a total of one run scored to end a World Series since the1995 World Series, in which Game 6 was won by theAtlanta Braves over theCleveland Indians, and the first 1–0 game in any Series game since Game 5 of the1996 World Series when theNew York Yankees shut-out the Braves in the last game ever played atAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium.

The 2005 White Sox joined the 1995 Atlanta Braves and 1999 New York Yankees as the only teams to win a World Series after losing no more than one game combined in the Division Series and Championship Series. They became the 3rd team in history to lead their division the entire year and sweep the opposition in the world series. Joining the 1927 New York Yankees and the 1990 Cincinnati Reds.

This was the second consecutive World Series to be won by a team that has the word "Sox" in its nickname, after theBoston Red Sox won the2004 World Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals. This also happened in 1917 and 1918. Furthermore, it was the second year in a row in which the Series champions broke a long-lived "curse." In one of those ways that patterns appear to emerge in sporting events, the White Sox World Series win in 2005, along with theBoston Red Sox win in 2004, symmetrically bookended the two teams' previous World Series winners and the long gaps between, with the Red Sox and White Sox last Series wins having come in 1918 and 1917, respectively.^[12]

2005 World Series(4–0):Chicago White Sox (A.L.) overHouston Astros (N.L.)

The winning margin of six runs tied for the lowest for a four-game sweep; the only other time was in1950.

As per their contract,Fox Sports carried the World Series on United States television.Joe Buck provided play-by-play for his eighth World Series while analystTim McCarver worked his sixteenth.

ESPN Radio was the nationwide radio broadcaster, as it had been since 1998.Jon Miller andJoe Morgan provided the play-by-play and analysis. Stirring minor controversy, ESPN has, on at least two occasions, publicly failed to acknowledge the White Sox as the 2005 World Series champions.^[14]

Locally,KTRH-AM andWMVP were the primary carriers for the World Series in the Houston and Chicago markets. For KTRH long time Astros voiceMilo Hamilton provided play-by-play whileJohn Rooney called the games for the White Sox. Game 4 was Rooney's last call after 17 years as the radio voice of the White Sox, as he left to take the same position with theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals proceeded to win the2006 World Series, making Rooney the first home announcer to call back-to-back World Series wins for two teams. That the teams were in two leagues makes the feat even more unusual.

The ratings for the 2005 World Series were considered weak.

With an overall average of 11.1, 2005 set a record for the lowest rated World Series of all-time. The prior lowest was 11.9, set by the2002 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Anaheim Angels (importantly, this series went 7 games, and the 2005 World Series went 4).

Following the 2005 World Series, however, every subsequent World Series through 2013 except for 2009 produced lower ratings. The record-low 2012 World Series, another four-game sweep, averaged 7.6 (3.5 points lower than 2005's rating) and 12.7 million viewers (4.4 million fewer viewers than 2005).^[15]

Neither team advanced to the postseason in 2006, but both the White Sox and the Astros were in the Wild Card race until the final weeks of the season, with the White Sox finishing with 90 wins, the Astros with 82 wins. The White Sox made their first post-2005 postseason appearance in2008, while the Astros would not return to the postseason until2015, their third season as an American League team and would not return to theWorld Series until2017, their fifth season as an American League team. Both teams would meet again in the2021 American League Division Series, their first match-up in the post-season since the 2005 World Series (and the first since the Astros moved to the AL). Houston won the series 3–1.

This was the city of Chicago's first professional sports championship since theChicago Fire wonMLS Cup '98 (which came four months after theChicago Bulls'sixth NBA championship that year). The next major Chicago sports championship came in 2010, when theNHL'sChicago Blackhawks ended a49-year Stanley Cup title drought. With theChicago Bears' win inSuper Bowl XX and theChicago Cubs' own World Series championship in2016, all Chicago sports teams have won at least one major championship since 1985. However, the White Sox would only make three postseason appearances since their 2005 championship (2008,2020,2021). When the Cubs made their 2016 World Series appearance, several media outlets forgot to include the White Sox 2005 World Series victory when listing Chicago's previous professional sports championships.^[16][17]

Meanwhile, the Astros themselves made it back to the World Series in2017, but this time as an AL team, where they defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers in seven games, resulting in Houston's first professional sports championship since the 2006–07Houston Dynamo won their back-to-backMLS Championships.

CloserBrad Lidge and utility playerEric Bruntlett went on to play on thePhiladelphia Phillies'2008 World Series-winning team, while outfielder/first basemanLance Berkman won a World Series in2011 with theSt. Louis Cardinals.Aaron Rowand andJuan Uribe both won a second World Series title together as members of the2010San Francisco Giants.

On May 8, 2025, the day he waselected pope, it was discovered thatPope Leo XIV (known at the time as Robert Prevost) was in attendance at one of the White Sox home games. On the following day, it was revealed that he could be seen during the broadcast of the ninth inning of game one.^[9][18]

• 2005 Asia Series
• 2005 Japan Series
• List of World Series sweeps
• Curse of the Black Sox

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• Chicago White Sox win 2005 World Series baseball championship

• 2005 World Series atBaseball Almanac
• 2005 World Series atBaseball-Reference.com
• The 2005 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet
• History of the World Series - 2005 atThe Sporting News. Archived fromthe original in May 2006.
• 2005 Postseason Schedule atMLB.comArchived December 12, 2020, at theWayback Machine

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