October 22, 2005: Joe Crede sparks White Sox on offense and defense in World Series opener

The first World Series game on the South Side since 1959. Attendance 41,206. (Courtesy of Ron Vesely / Chicago White Sox)

Game One of the 2005 World Series featured a matchup between two strong right-handers: José Contreras of the host Chicago White Sox and Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros. Contreras finished the regular season with a 15-7 record, including 11-2 after the All-Star break. He had found his control and baffled hitters, especially by using his fastball and forkball. Clemens, long known for his powerful fastball, had a 13-8 record in the regular season with a National League-leading 1.87 earned-run average. Both pitchers had won two games so far during the playoffs. At first glance, Game One figured to be a pitchers’ duel.

Instead, White Sox third baseman Joe Crede stole the show. Crede hit a game-winning home run and made two stellar plays on defense. The White Sox, who were playing in their first World Series home game since 1959, defeated the Astros 5-3. The game took 3:13 on a cold, damp night before 41,206 fans at US Cellular Field.

Crede, a 6-3, 195-pound 27-year-old, had rebounded during the playoffs. Late in the regular season, the team placed him on the 15-day disabled list with an injured right middle finger. At the time, he was mired in an 0-for-21 batting slump.1 He had only one hit in nine at-bats as the White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series. In contrast, Crede batted .368 as the White Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the AL Championship Series. He went 7-for-19, including two home runs, and drove in seven runs.

As for World Series Game One, after Contreras shut down the Astros in order in the top of the first inning, the game turned into a back-and-forth offensive affair.

Clemens nearly matched Contreras in the bottom of the first inning. The White Sox’ Scott Podsednik and Tadahito Iguchi grounded out. The third batter, however, Jermaine Dye, hit a solo home run to right field to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.

Houston struck back in the top of the second. After Morgan Ensberg led off with a fly out to right field, Mike Lamb tied the game with a homer to center field.

The White Sox scored two more in the bottom of the second. Carl Everett singled and went to third on Aaron Rowand’s single. Everett scored when A.J. Pierzynski’s grounder forced Rowand out at second. Pierzynski moved to second on Crede’s groundout. Pierzynski scored Juan Uribe’s double to center field.

Clemens struck out Podsednik to end the inning. Afterward, Clemens left the game with a strained left hamstring. Wandy Rodríguez, a rookie left-hander with a 10-10 record in the regular season, replaced him.

Houston tied the game at 3-3 in the third inning. Brad Ausmus singled to right field. Ausmus was forced at second on Adam Everett’s groundball. The next batter, Craig Biggio, singled to center field. Willy Taveras’ sacrifice bunt moved Biggio and Everett to second and third. Both scored on Lance Berkman’s double to right field. Ensberg grounded out to end the inning.

The White Sox broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth. Pierzynski led off with a groundout. Crede, the next batter, hit a solo home run to left-center field on a 0-and-2 pitch from Rodríguez. The shot gave the White Sox a 4-3 lead; they added one more run in the bottom of the eighth.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén praised Crede: “That’s the Joe we expected. I think this kid really had a tough year. We expected a lot from him, and all of a sudden he started swinging the bat real good at the right moments. We were really struggling when he came back [September 10] from the [disabled list]. He had a broken finger for a little while, and all of a sudden he [came back] and started swinging the bat good, and he helped this team to be where we are.”2

After Crede boosted the White Sox with his bat, he helped save the team with his glove in the top of the sixth inning. The Astros’ Taveras led off with a double to left field. He took third on Berkman’s groundout to first. The White Sox infielders drew in closer to the plate. Ensberg grounded sharply to third. Crede backhanded the ball, held Taveras, and threw out Ensberg at first. Mike Lamb grounded out to end the inning.

Said Crede after the game: “I was fortunate to get enough on the ball to make the play.”3

He also bailed out the White Sox in the top of the seventh. Contreras hit leadoff batter Jeff Bagwell. The next batter, Jason Lane, popped out to first. Then Contreras hit Ausmus. Everett’s grounder forced Ausmus at second as Bagwell took third. Biggio followed with a sharp grounder down the third-base line. Crede dived, snagged the ball, and threw out Biggio at first.4 The play ended the Astros’ scoring threat in a close game.

Contreras left the game after giving up a leadoff double to Taveras in the top of the eighth. He pitched seven-plus innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Guillén replaced Contreras with Neal Cotts, a left-hander with a good cutter. It was the first time the White Sox used a relief pitcher since Game One of the ALCS against the Angels. Berkman, the next batter, singled to left, and Taveras went to third. After Cotts struck out Ensberg and Lamb, Guillén and Astros manager Phil Garner made strategic moves. Guillén replaced Cotts with Bobby Jenks, a hard-throwing right-hander, to face Bagwell. Garner sent Chris Burke to pinch-run for Berkman.

Jenks and Bagwell battled in a classic power vs. power showdown. Bagwell swung and missed on the first pitch, a 99-mph fastball. Bagwell fell behind 0-and-2 after he fouled the next pitch. Burke stole second as Jenks threw a high fastball that Pierzynski, the catcher, had to rise from a crouch to retrieve. The pitch count moved to 2-and-2 on another high fastball inside from Jenks. Bagwell fouled the next pitch. On the next pitch, Jenks fired a 100-mph fastball outside. Bagwell swung and missed to end the inning. The crowd erupted. Jenks and Pierzynski pumped their fists as they walked off the field.5

Bagwell afterward lamented the Astros’ missed scoring opportunities. “It’s tough. In those situations, you have to be able to get those guys in. We had the opportunities, we just need to do a better job with runners in scoring position.”6

The White Sox got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Pierzynski singled to right off reliever Russ Springer. Crede and Uribe flied out to right field and to left field. Pierzynski stole second during Podsednik’s at-bat, and scored on Podsednik’s triple to center field.

White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand summed up Crede’s role in the win, saying, “His home run was huge, but he saved a couple runs with those catches.”7

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author used the Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball-Almanac.com, and Retrosheet.org websites for box-score, player, team, and season pages, pitching and batting game logs, and other material. The telecast of the game can be seen on YouTube.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA200510220.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2005/B10220CHA2005.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArewsuEIzDk

Notes

1 Mark Gonzales, “White Sox Bits: Crede’s fractured Finger Passes an Important Test,” Chicago Tribune, September 7, 2005: 4, 4.

2 Doug Padilla, “Joe, Pen and Shut: Mane Man Crede Attacks from Both Sides, Relievers Shine as Sox Take Game 1,” Chicago Sun-Times, October 23, 2005: 2.

3 Toni Ginnetti, “Sox Agree Crede’s Best Work Comes Infield,” Chicago Sun-Times, October 23, 2005: 14.

4 Melissa Isaacson, “A Hit – at Plate, in Field,” Chicago Tribune, October 23, 2005: 17, 3.

5 Mark Gonzales, “Chills, Thrills: It Gets Scary, but Sox Take Game 1,” Chicago Tribune, October 23, 2005, 17, 3.

6 T.R. Sullivan, “Rocket Flames Out, but Jenks Flames On,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 23, 2005: 4C.

7 Ginnetti.