July 17, 2005: Jon Garland’s dominant pitching completes White Sox sweep over Cleveland

Entering the 2005 All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox held a sizable lead in the American League Central Division. They had catapulted to an early five-game margin by winning 16 of their first 20 games, and when the midseason hiatus began, the gap over the second-place Minnesota Twins had grown to nine games.

Much of Chicago’s early success was due to the achievement of their top four starting pitchers. Homegrown hurlers Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle developed together in the White Sox system and were rotation stalwarts in their sixth season. Veterans Freddy García and José Contreras were acquired in 2004 midseason trades and were pitching their first full season with Chicago. Collectively, the four pitchers started 74 of Chicago’s first 90 games, with a combined record of 40-15.

When games resumed after the break, the White Sox were in Cleveland to face the Indians in a four-game series. Coming off a sweep by Oakland at home before the break, Chicago was looking for improved results in its matchup with third-place Cleveland. “It’s a division rival,” said Garland, Sunday’s scheduled starter. “The least you want to do is split so the standings stay the same.”1

Chicago manager Ozzie Guillén arranged his rotation to have his top four pitchers face the Indians. In the first three contests, Contreras, García, and Buerhle each pitched seven innings, surrendering a total of three runs, as the White Sox won all three. In Sunday’s finale, Garland was aiming for his league-leading 14th win and the White Sox were looking for the sweep.

As in the first three games, Chicago’s offense struck early. Scott Podsednik drove Cleveland starter Scott Elarton’s third pitch of the game into the left-center-field gap for a double. He took third on Tadahito Iguchi’s fly ball to center field and scored on Frank Thomas’s groundout.

Podsednik had been acquired by the White Sox in an offseason trade with Milwaukee for slugger Carlos Lee. Chicago surrendered the power bat of Lee in the transaction but added the speed and defense of Podsednik. In his first year in Chicago, Podsednik was able to solidify the top of the White Sox lineup. “I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job than what he’s done this year,” said White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker.2

Garland took the mound in the bottom of the first facing an Indians lineup that was missing its leading hitter, Travis Hafner. He sidelined with a cut lip and slight concussion after being hit by a pitch in Saturday’s game. Leadoff hitter Grady Sizemore worked the count full before walking on Garland’s ninth pitch. Coco Crisp grounded into a double play and Victor Martinez singled to center. Casey Blake, batting cleanup with Hafner sidelined, grounded out to end the inning.

In the top of the second, the White Sox expanded their lead by two. Jermaine Dye singled up the middle and scored on A.J. Pierzynski’s long home run to center field. The blast was the Chicago catcher’s 12th of the season. Elarton retired the next two batters, but the frame ended with the White Sox on top 3-0.

Chicago struck again in the top of the third. Podsednik flied out to center and Iguchi followed with his sixth homer of the season. “That’s the one pitch I was most disappointed in throwing,” said Elarton of Iguchi’s home run. “Pierzynski put a good swing on what I thought was a good pitch, but the one to Iguchi was just a bad one by me.”3

Garland retired the Indians in order in the bottom of the second, the only clean inning he threw. Cleveland had numerous baserunners in Garland’s other five innings but went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Cleveland’s best chance to score came in the fourth inning. Blake and Ben Broussard singled, putting runners at first and third with no outs. After Jhonny Peralta struck out, Ronnie Belliard hit a sharp grounder up the middle. White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe fielded the hot shot, stepped on second, and threw to first to complete the double play. “I hit the ball hard, but right at somebody,” Belliard said.4

Elarton settled down after the two home runs. From the fourth inning through the seventh, the White Sox mustered only two singles and a walk. Podsednik led off the fifth with a bunt single and stole second. Iguchi walked, but Thomas hit into a double play and Paul Konerko flied out, ending the threat. In the sixth, Aaron Rowand singled, but was stranded.

The Indians had two more opportunities with multiple baserunners but could not push across any runs. In the bottom of the sixth, Garland’s last inning, Martínez stroked a leadoff single and Peralta walked with two outs. Belliard lined a pitch to right that Dye snared, leaving the runners stranded. Neil Cotts relieved Garland in the seventh, then with one out in the eighth Cliff Politte took over for Cotts. He hit Blake with a pitch, Broussard flied to center, and Peralta walked. Belliard came to the plate for the third time with runners in scoring position. He popped out to shallow center and failed again to advance anyone. “I tried,” Belliard said, “but didn’t do the job. They have good pitching.”5

After setting the White Sox down in order in the seventh, Elarton was finished, having surrendered four runs on eight hits. David Riske replaced him in the eighth and pitched two hitless, scoreless innings.

Politte completed the 4-0 shutout with a one-two-three ninth. “I never thought we’d sweep,” said Guillén. I (came in) hoping we’d win the series.”6 The four straight wins secured Chicago’s first four-game sweep in Cleveland in 42 years. The third-place Indians plummeted to 15 games behind the White Sox. Cleveland manager Eric Wedge acknowledged his team’s dubious situation. “We’re in a tough stretch now, but we can’t put our heads down,” he said.7

Garland secured his league-leading 14th win, tossing six effective innings. After the game he was asked about his performance and the state of his team. “We definitely like where we’re sitting right now,” he said. “But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”8

Cleveland rebounded and gradually clawed its way back into the race. When the Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals on September 22, Chicago’s division lead dwindled to 1½ games. That was the smallest gap Cleveland secured; the White Sox never surrendered the lead and won the division by six games.

The White Sox dominated the postseason with an 11-1 record, and gleefully captured their first World Series championship since 1917. The reliable quartet of Contreras, Buehrle, Garland, and García started all 12 postseason games. First baseman Konerko, who was named MVP of the AL Championship Series, gave credit to the four starters. “Those guys were the horses, and I was just along for the ride,” he said. “Really, we all were.”9

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball Reference and Retrosheet for information including the box score and play-by-play.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE200507170.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2005/B07170CLE2005.htm

Notes

1 Associated Press, “White Sox Complete Sweep of Cleveland,” Bloomington (Illinois) Pantagraph, May 18, 2005: B1.

2 Mark Gonzales, Podsednik Adds Hitting to Repertoire,” Chicago Tribune, July 18, 2005: 3-3.

3 “White Sox Complete Sweep of Cleveland.”

4 “White Sox Complete Sweep of Cleveland.”

5 Burt Graeff, “It’s Vibrant Hose, Pale Tribe,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 18, 2005: C-1.

6 “White Sox Complete Sweep of Cleveland.”

7 “It’s Vibrant Hose, Pale Tribe.”

8 Mark Gonzales, “Above All, It’s Garland,” Chicago Tribune, July 18, 2005: 3-1.

9 Phil Rogers, “10 Years Ago, White Sox Had Historic Run,” MLB.com, October 26, 2015, https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-dominant-in-2005-world-series-run/c-155562852#: