With the start of the White Sox regular season postponed due to coronavirus concerns, NBC Sports Chicago has decided to re-air 70 victories from the 2005 season from now until June. Here at Sox On 35th, we will also be following along and recapping those games for you in our Tale of the Tape series.
Date of Game: April 13, 2005
In game two of three in Cleveland, the White Sox would secure the series win in extras. Both White Sox starter Jose Contreras and Indians starter Cliff Lee gave up 4 earned runs each, and both went for 6.2 innings. However, in the top of the 10th, Juan Uribe would drive home the would-be winning run, via a sacrifice fly to center, scoring A.J. Pierzynski from third.
W: Luis Vizcaino (1-1) | L: Bob Howry (0-1) | S: Dustin Hermanson (3)
The Good
- Carl Everett (DH): 2-for-4, RBI, run
- Aaron Rowand (CF): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run
- A.J. Pierzynski: Started top of the 10th with double, scored winning run
- White Sox Bullpen: Threw a combined 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K to finish the game
The Bad
- Paul Konerko (1B): 0-for-4, K
- Jose Contreras (SP): 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
- 104 pitches: 55 strikes, 49 balls
Moment of the Game
This one comes in extra innings. A.J. Pierzynski’s lead off double that set him up as the winning run is this game’s key moment. He did a nice job of working the count on Howry, making it a nine pitch at-bat before hitting it to deep center. Crede would sacrifice him to third on a ground ball, then Uribe drove him home on the sac fly.
Stats On 35th – Let’s Break This One Down by the Numbers
Today’s Numbers:
34.3, 1, 2, 17, 4
34.3
This game’s MVP in terms of Win Probability Added (WPA) was Joe Crede with 34.3 percentage points. He blew away the majority of the lineup, with next in line being A.J. Pierzynski with 17.1.
1
Designated Hitter Carl Everett got his first stolen base of the year. Any time a DH swipes a bag, it’s something memorable. Everett ended the season with 4 total stolen bases.
2
Aaron Rowand, Carl Everett, and A.J.Pierzynski all doubled in the game. In addition, it was all of their second doubles of the season.
17
During the third inning of the game, the White Sox had just a 17% chance of winning this one. Luckily, they were only down three runs and there was plenty of time for the ’05 squad to make up lost ground.
4
For the fourth time this season, the White Sox would win a game by two runs or less. This was made note of in the last article, but it truly was a major theme throughout the season. That’s 4 games that could have gone either way. It’s the difference between the Sox being 6-2, or a woeful 2-6.
Looking Ahead:
- Next up on the docket is game two of a three game set against the Minnesota Twins, taking place back on April 19th, 2005. NBC Sports Chicago will be showing it tomorrow at 4:00 pm. As always, check back here at Sox On 35th for the recap!
Player of the Game
A.J. is the fourth man up on the leaderboard thanks to leading off extras with a double and scoring the game winning run.
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