White Sox Sweep Astros to Reach AL Division Series

The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 on Wednesday, completing a two-game sweep of the American League Wild Card Series and advancing to face Cleveland in the Division Series. The victory gave Chicago its first postseason series win since it swept Houston in the 2005 World Series. Chicago took control with four runs in the first inning, chasing Houston starter Hunter Brown before he could record more than two outs. The White Sox scored on RBI singles by Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, along with runs resulting from two Astros errors. Houston cut the deficit to 4-3 with solo home runs by Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve. The Astros had a chance to move ahead in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but Altuve flew out to end the inning. Chase Meidroth restored Chicago’s four-run cushion in the sixth with a three-run homer. The White Sox bullpen then kept Houston from scoring again, securing the win and the series sweep. The result ends a playoff-series drought for Chicago that dated to its 2005 championship.