The Chicago White Sox are going to the AL Division Series. Chase Meidroth crushed a three-run homer in the sixth inning on Wednesday night, turning a tense 4-3 game into a 7-3 rout that completed a two-game wild-card sweep of the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.
Chicago ambushed Astros ace Hunter Brown for four first-inning runs on RBI singles from Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, and Houston never recovered. The Astros got three solo homers, including Jose Altuve's 28th career postseason blast, one shy of Manny Ramirez's record, but left the bases loaded in the fifth before Meidroth's decisive shot.
It is Chicago's first postseason series victory since sweeping these same Astros in the 2005 World Series. Two years removed from a 121-loss season, the White Sox became the first team ever to follow back-to-back 100-loss campaigns with a playoff berth, and now a series win. They open the ALDS on Saturday in Cleveland against the Guardians.
