2005 Chicago White Sox

		2005 ROSTER
		Manager
	13	Ozzie Guillen
		Coaches
	3	Harold Baines
	21	Don Cooper
	28	Joey Cora
	53	Art Kusnyer
	59	Man Soo Lee
	30	Tim Raines
	29	Greg Walker
		Pitchers
	37	Jon Adkins
	57	Jeff Bajenaru
	56	Mark Buehrle
	52	Jose Contreras
	46	Neal Cotts
	34	Freddy Garcia
	20	Jon Garland
	32	Dustin Hermanson
	26	Orlando Hernandez
	45	Bobby Jenks
	43	Damaso Marte
	41	Brandon McCarthy
	18	Cliff Politte
	65	David Sanders
	10	Shingo Takatsu
	51	Luis Vizcaino
	58	Kevin Walker
		Catchers
	31	Raul Casanova
	12	A.J. Pierzynski
	36	Chris Widger
		Infielders
	27	Geoff Blum
	27	Jamie Burke
	24	Joe Crede
	17	Ross Gload
	1	Willie Harris
	15	Tadahito Iguchi
	14	Paul Konerko
	62	Pedro Lopez
	38	Pablo Ozuna
	35	Frank Thomas
	5	Juan Uribe
		Outfielders
	44	Brian Anderson
	25	Joe Borchard
	23	Jermaine Dye
	8	Carl Everett
	7	Timo Perez
	22	Scott Podsednik
	33	Aaron Rowand

BR Team Page

Record: 99-63, Finished 1st in AL Central Division (2005 AL)

Clinched Division: September 29, 2005, At Detroit Tigers

World Series Champs

Managed by Ozzie Guillen

Coaches: Harold Baines, Don Cooper, Joey Cora, Art Kusnyer, Tim Raines and Greg Walker

Ballpark: U.S. Cellular Field

Season Highlights[edit]

The 2005 Chicago White Sox began their season with a very different lineup than in 2004 and a lot of questions. After more than seven years with the Sox, slugger Magglio Ordonez had left the team via free agency, and Carlos Lee was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Scott Podsednik and reliever Luis Vizcaino. The club did sign free agents Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski in the off-season, and their starting rotation, anchored by Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia was viewed as solid. Still, most experts did not expect the Sox to finish above third in their division in 2005.

However, the White Sox were quick out of the gate to begin the season. The club won 16 of its first 20 games, and pitcher Jon Garland started the season with an 8-0 record. The Sox ended the season's first half with the best record in baseball, and pitcher Mark Buehrle was the American League starter in the Midsummer Classic.

On August 1st, the Sox held a 15-game lead over the second place Cleveland Indians. By late September, the surging Indians had cut the lead to a game and a half before the Sox finally clinched the division on September 29th. Despite their late-season struggles, the Sox did finish the season with the best record in the American League.

First baseman Paul Konerko hit 40 homers and drove in 100 runs, and Scott Podsednik led the club with a .290 batting average and 59 stolen bases. Jon Garlan] ended the season with 18 wins, and three other pitchers won at least 14 games (Buehrle, Garcia and Jose Contreras). The closer duties were split between Dustin Hermanson, who saved 34 games, and rookie Bobby Jenks who saved 6 after being recalled from the AA Birmingham Barons in July.

The 2005 Postseason[edit]

In the Division Series, the White Sox swept the Boston Red Sox to advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 1993. This was also the team's first postseason series win since the 1917 World Series. The Sox lost the first game of the ALCS to the Los Angeles Angels, but Sox starting pitchers went the distance in the next four games as the Sox defeated the Angels in five.

The White Sox went on to sweep the Houston Astros, even though the individual games were closely played, and win their first World Series since 1917. With the sweep, the Sox finished the postseason with an 11-1 mark and won sixteen of their last seventeen games in total. Dye captured the World Series Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .468 for the series, including driving home the only run in the clinching game.

The Ex-Cub factor played perfectly in the 2005 postseason, as each team with more former Cubs managed to lose every postseason series. The White Sox were not impeded by a single player who had formerly donned a Cub uniform.