2005 Postseason

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Summary

The previous three American League teams to win the World Series all made the playoffs in 2005; the Red Sox (2004), the Angels (2002), and the Yankees (2000). Joining them was the White Sox, the league's leader with 99 regular season wins. Though the Yankees and Red Sox were the favorites, the White Sox came out on top. Chicago cruised to its first World Series since 1959, behind four consecutive complete games.

The National League playoffs included a few familiar faces, the Braves, Astros, and Cardinals, as well as the Padres. Some of baseball's best pitchers were present, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, John Smoltz, Chris Carpenter, and Jake Peavy. The Astros prevailed thanks to an 18th inning home run from Chris Burke and a couple of dazzling NLCS performances by Oswalt.

The postseason concluded with the White Sox bringing the city of Chicago its first World Series title since 1917.

NL Team Stats

TEAM	W-L	Manager	BA	HR	R	ERA	WHIP	RA
Cardinals	100-62	Tony LaRussa	.270	170	805	3.49	1.27	634
Braves	90-72	Bobby Cox	.265	184	769	3.98	1.39	674
Padres	82-80	Bruce Bochy	.257	130	684	4.13	1.34	726
Astros	89-73	Phil Garner	.256	161	693	3.51	1.23	609

AL Team Stats

TEAM	W-L	Manager	BA	HR	R	ERA	WHIP	RA
White Sox	99-63	Ozzie Guillen	.262	200	741	3.61	1.25	645
Angels	95-67	Mike Scioscia	.270	147	761	3.68	1.27	643
Yankees	95-67	Joe Torre	.276	229	886	4.52	1.37	789
Red Sox	95-67	Terry Francona	.281	199	910	4.74	1.39	805