Houston’s ace never got out of the first
It was over almost before the crowd found its seats. Hunter Brown, handed the ball with Houston’s season on the line, faced nine batters, threw 36 pitches and walked off having given up four runs. The Chicago White Sox never gave the lead back, and on Wednesday night at Daikin Park they closed out a two-game Wild Card sweep with a 7-3 win over the Astros.
Brown carried a 3.19 ERA into the start and a 6-4 record. Neither number mattered once the first inning got away from him. Chicago’s lineup kept the pressure on after that, and Houston never found a way to climb back into it.
For the White Sox it is the first playoff series victory since 2005, the year they won the World Series. A franchise that spent most of the past decade rebuilding just won a postseason round.
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The Crochet trade pays off in October
The names that decided Game 2 came from one deal. Chase Meidroth hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning, a towering shot that put the game out of reach. Kyle Teel added an RBI single. Between them, players acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade drove in four of Chicago’s seven runs.
Sean Burke started for Chicago after an 11-7 regular season with a 3.34 ERA, and the bullpen handled the rest. The White Sox also took Game 1 by a 6-3 score on Tuesday, when Colson Montgomery homered and Houston’s early walks, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch helped Chicago score.
A home crowd that turned on its team
The mood in Houston had already soured by then. Fans booed the Astros after the seventh inning of Game 1, and the players did not hide their irritation. First baseman Christian Walker said: “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos.” Reliever Bennett Sousa said he was “pretty pissed off in the dugout” when he came in.
Game 2 gave the stands little to cheer. Houston trailed from the opening frame and never forced a decisive game.
The sweep ends the Astros’ season in the Wild Card round. Chicago moves on to the Division Series, with a young core and a trade that looks better by the day.
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