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White Sox knock champion Red Sox from playoffs

Posted on: Friday, 7 October 2005, 20:31 CDT

By Mike Shalin

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Red Sox' reign as world champions came to an end on Friday when the Chicago White Sox took a winning 3-0 lead in the American League (AL) Division Series with a 5-3 victory at Fenway Park.

It was the first post-season triumph for the White Sox since they won the 1917 World Series.

Chicago now meets the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Angels in the opening game of the best-of-seven AL Championship Series on Tuesday.

Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer off loser Tim Wakefield and reliever Orlando Hernandez pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out spot in the sixth inning as the White Sox overcame two solo homers by Manny Ramirez and one by David Ortiz to win their eighth straight game.

"I feel great, we beat those guys," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "Coming to Boston is not an easy thing to do.

"For the franchise, it's great. Finally we make another big step. I think the people in Chicago should feel proud of these players."

When the game ended, the White Sox, who won 99 games but still had to hang on at the end of the regular season to win the AL Central, stormed the field. As they celebrated, several members of the deposed champs sat stunned in their dugout.

"The worst thing for me is we don't have a chance to play tomorrow -- and I have to put that on my shoulders," said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, the first of three hitters retired by Hernandez in the sixth inning.

The wildcard Red Sox closed to within 4-3 on Ramirez's second homer off winner Freddy Garcia before loading the bases on a single and two walks against reliever Damaso Marte.

Hernandez, a former Boston rival from his days with the Yankees, then retired pinch-hitter Varitek and Tony Graffanino on infield flies before striking out Johnny Damon to end the threat in a dramatic 21-pitch relief inning.

He then worked two more frames (one hit, three more strikeouts) before Bobby Jenks pitched the ninth for his second save of the series -- after his team scored on a double and two sacrifice bunts in the top of the ninth.

Said Guillen: "Maybe somebody else would show up nervous or anxious. El Duque (Hernandez) has experience in the playoffs. Everything worked out pretty good for us."

Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar said he was "very surprised" to see the season end so quickly. "I don't think anybody would have looked at us and thought that we were going to go down 3-0," he said. "That's baseball. Anybody can win any given night. It just takes that one swing in a game and tonight we couldn't get that."

Wakefield, 0-4 lifetime with a 9.14 ERA in Division Series play, fell behind, 2-0, in the third inning on an RBI double on Scott Podsednik and a run-scoring single by Game 2 hero Tadahito Iguchi. The White Sox, who led the league with 99 wins in the regular season, struck for four straight hits with two outs and nobody on base, both outs recorded on fine plays by the Boston defense.

Ortiz and Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the fourth -- the first home runs of the series for both. But Konerko, who also connected in Game 1, followed a walk to Jermaine Dye with his blast with no one out in the top of the sixth.

The two home runs by Ramirez moved the Red Sox slugger out of a tie with Yankee greats Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle into second place on the all-time post-season home run list. With 20, Ramirez now trails only New York's Bernie Williams, who had 22 as the Yankees were to resume their series against the Angels in New York

.

Source: REUTERS

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