Two Huge Innings Catapult White Sox Into ALDS

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The fan bases with rooting interest in the White Sox-Astros Wild Card Series entered the postseason with differing perspectives on their teams’ relative talent and season quality. Chicagoans, though perhaps irked at how the division slipped away from them at the end of the season, were likely thrilled to be here after multiple consecutive 100-loss seasons. However, Houston fans, who have enjoyed a higher standard of living for the last decade, aren’t content with parallel parking into the top spot of a bad division, then bowing out in the Wild Card round. That was apparent during Houston’s Game 1 loss, which tasted sour enough to Astros fans that they let the kitchen know about it, and some of the players and manager Joe Espada acknowledged hearing it with varying levels of annoyance. That set the tone for a mid-afternoon Game 2 at Daikin Park, in which the White Sox landed decisive blows in two big innings and sent Houston packing to win their first postseason series since they won the 2005 World Series. The Sox will now chart a Division Series course for Cleveland. Within minutes of first pitch, this game looked as though it would be a blowout, as atypical changes to Houston’s lineup immediately backfired. Taylor Trammell, mired in a 1-for-32 slump, was replaced by infielder Nick Allen. That led to dominoes falling in such a way that usual DH and presumptive AL MVP, Yordan Alvarez, was tasked with playing the outfield for just the third time since the start of September. White Sox leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci tested Alvarez right away with a fly ball to the left-center gap. Alvarez’s route was too shallow, and the ball clanged off his glove as he tried to make an awkward play way up above his head. Antonacci was awarded a double and then scored on a Kyle Teel single. Houston’s first-inning gaffes continued as Allen, ordinarily a great defender but perhaps rusty from a lack of recent reps, booted a Miguel Vargas grounder. Two batters later, an Andrew Benintendi single was made worse when an errant throw by center fielder Lucas Spence allowed an extra run to score. First half hero Tristan Peters knocked an opposite-field single into left field to make it 4-0 within the blink of an eye.FanGraphs Playoff Coverage Is for MembersYou must be a Member in order to read our postseason coverage. You can read our announcement here, but it's not the only reason you should consider becoming a Member. Membership includes:✓Ad-free browsing✓Unlimited FanGraphs & RotoGraphs articles✓Historical & platoon projections✓Leaderboard & player-page stat heatmaps✓One-click data exports✓Customizable player-page dashboards✓Dark & Classic site modes✓Weekly Members-only mailbag✓FanGraphs Walk-Off, your year in review✓Optional homepage photo removal✓Gift articles to non-Members✓Full postseason coverage