Schedule and 2005 Results
Regular Season Records: Chicago White Sox 99-63, Houston 89-73
Game 1 on Saturday, 22 October: Houston loses at Chicago White Sox, 5-runs-3
Game 2 on Sunday, 23 October: Houston loses at Chicago White Sox, 7-runs-6
Game 3 on Tuesday, 25 October: Chicago White Sox win at Houston, 7-runs-5 (14 innings)
Game 4 on Wednesday, 26 October: Chicago White Sox win at Houston, 1-run-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Chicago White Sox visited and defeated the Houston Astros 1-run-nil to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 956 Game 4, thereby sweeping series 956, 4-games-nil. With the win, the White Sox improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 3-3 overall, and 2-2 in the best-of-7 MLB Finals. Their 2005 MLB Finals victory is their first since 1917. With the loss, the Houston Astros see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 1-3 overall, and 0-1 in best-of-7 MLB Finals. Series 956 was a four-game sweep for the victorious Chicago White Sox. Series 956 thus becomes the 161st MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 sweep (all rounds), the 46th best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL Finals sweep, the 22nd best-of-7 MLB sweep (all rounds), and the 19th best-of-7 MLB Finals sweep. The four-game sweep is the first achieved by the Chicago White Sox, and the first suffered by the Houston Astros. In the 2005 post-season, the Chicago White Sox posted a 5-0 road game record in their MLB Semifinals and MLB Finals rounds. That is the best MLB best-of-7 road playoff game record in one year since 1996, when the New York Yankees were 6-0 in best-of-7 road playoff games. The 5-0 road game record by the Chicago White Sox in best-of-7 2005 post-season games improves their overall record to 12-5 (.706) in best-of-7 playoff road games. That .706 winning fraction by the White Sox is now better than that of any other MLB, NBA, or NHL team in best-of-7 playoff road games. Following the Sox are the MLB Florida Marlins (9-4, .692 in best-of-7 playoff road games), the old MLB Boston Braves (3-2, .600), the NHL Minnesota Wild (6-4, .600), and the MLB New York Yankees (77-52, .597) to round out the top five.

After Game 3: In a 14-inning marathon, the Chicago White Sox visited and defeated the Houston Astros 7-runs-5 to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 956 Game 3, thereby taking a 3-games-nil series 956 lead. The Chicago White Sox thus lead a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. Likewise, the Houston Astros thus trail a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series from 1905 through 2004, 21 times has a team taken a 3-games-nil MLB Finals ("World Series") lead: That team won all 21 such series, and swept 18 of them. Only in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 6 (with the Philadelphia Athletics leading the Chicago Cubs 3-games-nil in the 1910 World Series), 30 (with the New York Yankees leading the New York Giants 3-games-nil in the 1937 World Series), and 231 (with the Baltimore Orioles leading the Cincinnati Reds 3-games-nil in the 1970 World Series) did the series not end in a four-game sweep -- and those three series lasted only five games. In series 956 Game 3, the visiting Chicago White Sox trailed the host Houston Astros by four runs after four full innings. In the 789 best-of-7 format MLB playoff games prior to this one, 32 times had the road team trailed by four runs after four innings; in those 32 games, the road team record was only 2-30 (.0625). The 2005 Chicago White Sox thus join the St. Louis Cardinals (in series 499 Game 3 in San Francisco against the Giants in the 1987 MLB Semifinals) and the Toronto Blue Jays (in series 623 Game 4 in Oakland against the Athletics in the 1992 MLB Semifinals) as the only two road teams to surmount a four-run deficit after four innings to win the game. Chicago and Houston were tied after 11 1/2 innings of series 956 Game 3. In the 789 best-of-7 format MLB playoff games prior to this one, 18 times had the game remained tied after 11 1/2 innings; in those 18 games, the road team record was only 1-17 (.056). The sole road winner? The New York Mets, in series 474 Game 6 in the 1986 MLB Semifinals. The 2005 Chicago White Sox thus join the 1986 New York Mets as the only road teams to win best-of-7 format MLB playoff games that were tied heading into the bottom of the 12th inning. Ironically, both the 1986 Mets and the 2005 White Sox earned their respective extra-inning road victories against a common opponent: the Astros, in Houston. Series 956 Game 3 tied series 12 Game 2 (the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Red Sox in Boston in the 1916 MLB Finals) and series 936 Game 5 (the New York Yankees against the Red Sox in Boston in the 2004 MLB Semifinals) for the third-longest best-of-7 format MLB playoff games, by innings. The aforementioned series 474 Game 6 (New York at Houston in 1986) is the longest, at 16 innings, while series 796 Game 5 (in which the New York Mets hosted the Atlanta Braves in the 1999 MLB Semifinals) is the second-longest, at 15 innings.

After Game 2: With a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-runs-6 in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 956 Game 2. Chicago thus takes a 2-games-nil playoff series 956 lead. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, the Chicago White Sox have a 1-0 series record and a 0-1 Game 3 record. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, the Houston Astros have a 0-1 series record and a 1-0 Game 3 record. MLB/NBA/NHL teams winning Games 1-2 at home in a best-of-7 Finals-round playoff series are on a current 27-series winning streak. The last MLB/NBA/NHL team to win Games 1-2 of the Finals at home but lose the series: The 1981 New York Yankees (to the Los Angeles Dodgers). Houston led series 956 Game 2 by a 4-runs-2 score after 6.0 complete innings. In the 788 previous best-of-7 format MLB playoff games, home teams trailing by two runs after six full innings (such as the Chicago White Sox) had only a 9-60 game record. Of those nine winners, the first, ironically enough, was the Chicago White Sox (vs. the New York Giants in series 13 Game 5, in the 1917 MLB Finals or "World Series"). In series 13 Game 5, the New York Giants also led the Chicago White Sox 4-runs-2 in Chicago after six innings. The Giants added a run in the top of the seventh inning, but scored no more as the White Sox posted three runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings to win series 13 Game 5, 8-runs-5 (the White Sox never trailed series 13 Game 6 in New York, defeating the Giants 4-runs-2 to win the 1917 World Series).

After Game 1: The Chicago White Sox hosted and defeated the Houston Astros 5-runs-3 in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 956 Game 1. Chicago thus takes a 1-game-nil series 956 lead. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Chicago White Sox have a 2-1 series record and a 1-2 Game 2 record. When trailing such a series 1-game-nil, the Houston Astros have a 1-1 series record and a 1-1 Game 2 record. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series from 1905 through the 2005 MLB Semifinals, home teams winning Game 1 by two runs have an 11-7 (.611) series record. Series 956 Game 1 is the third best-of-7 MLB playoff game in which the visiting team 1) scored once in the second inning, 2) scored twice in the third inning, and 3) scored in no other inning. The previous two games in which that scoring pattern occurred were series 954 Game 1 (by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in Chicago vs. the White Sox in the 2005 "American League Championship Series"), and series 872 Game 4 (by the Anaheim Angels, in San Francisco vs. the Giants in the 2002 "World Series"). The host Chicago White Sox took leads after the first and second innings of series 956 Game 1, but the game was again tied in the middle of the second and third innings. The last time that such happened in a best-of-7 MLB playoff game was in series 720 Game 1, in which the New York Yankees hosted the Baltimore Orioles in the 1996 "American League Championship Series."

Pre-series assessment: In the 2005 regular season, the Chicago White Sox finished ten games ahead of Houston. From 1905 through the 2005 MLB Semifinals, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by ten regular-season games, they have posted a 3-4 best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 956 is the fourth best-of-7 playoff series for Houston, and the sixth for the Chicago White Sox. In best-of-7 playoff series, Houston has a 1-2 series record, a 0-0 Finals-round series record, and a 1-2 Game 1 record, while the Chicago White Sox have a 3-2 series record, a 2-1 Finals-round record, and a 3-2 Game 1 record. Series 956 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series meeting between Houston and the Chicago White Sox.