MLB: 2005 Chicago White Sox Five Greatest Postseason Performances

The White Sox have had very limited postseason performances and really the only great ones came in 2005.

Besides Dewayne Wise's three-run home run game against the Rays in the 2008 ALDS, which Javier Vazquez promptly gave right back and...I can't even find a good performance in the 2000 ALDS (The White Sox batted .185). They haven't had any great performances except for 2005.

I'm not going back to the 1906 World Series winner where the White Sox batted .198 and the Chicago Cubs batted .196. I'm sure every pitcher had an ERA below 2.30.

Nor am I going back to the 1917 World Series when Eddie Collins batted .409.

The game was far too different back then, so I'm keeping it to this decade.

On the other side,a performance is not judged in one at-bat or one inning, so we will not be looking at single hits or single innings although they will always be remembered.

No. 5 Jermaine Dye in the 2005 World Series

People forget that Jermaine Dye struggled in 2005 even though he hit 31 home runs and had 86 RBI. Dye batted just .274 with a .333 OBP in 2005.

Dye continued his struggles throughout the playoffs going just 7-for-29 with no home runs and three RBI in the ALDS and ALCS combined until the World Series.

In the World Series Dye batted .438 with one home run, three RBI and an OBP of .526 on his way to the MVP award of the World Series.

Dye scored the first and last runs of the 2005 World Series for the White Sox.

He hit a home run off Roger Clemens in Game 1 to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead and hit a single in the top of the eighth in Game 4 scoring Willie Harris to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead, which ended up being the game winner.

The rest was history as Dye went on to have a tremendous career with the White Sox.

No. 4 Paul Konerko in the Entire 2005 Postseason

Any White Sox fan knows exactly what just happened in the featured picture.

Konerko only batted .250 against the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, but did have two home runs and four RBI. His biggest hit coming off Tim Wakefield in Game 3 in the form of a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to give the White Sox a 4-2 lead they would never relinquish.

Konerko earned the ALCS MVP batting .286 with two home runs and seven RBI.

Konerko batted just .250 with one home run and four RBI in the World Series, but did have a .368 OBP. He is most remembered for his two-out, seventh-inning, grand slam in Chicago with the White Sox trailing by two.

After that hit, reporters said the World Series was essentially over as all the life was sucked out of Houston.

Little did they know it would take a home run from Scott Podsednik in the bottom of the ninth of that same game to mentally close the books on the Houston Astros.

Side note. Konerko caught every clinching ball for the 2005 White Sox: a line drive against the Tigers for the division championship, a ground ball from Tadahito Iguchi in the ALDS, a ground ball from Jose Contreras in the ALCS, and of course, a ground ball from Juan Uribe in the World Series.

No. 3 Scott Podsednik in the Entire 2005 Postseason

I have to give credit where credit is due and as much guff I give to Scott Podsednik, he showed up throughout the 2005 postseason.

Although he batted just .279 against the Red Sox in the ALDS, he did what he was supposed to do and what I wish he would have done consistently: He had a .429 OBP. Throw in one home run, four RBI, three runs, and a stolen base. His most memorable hit was his first home run of the season in a 14-2 shellacking of "the nation" (sorry, United States) and the defending World Champions.

Against the Angels in the ALCS, Podsednik hit .294 with a .478 OBP to go along with four runs and three stolen bases. He walked six times in that series.

Although he went back to his old ways in the World Series batting .286 with a .286 OBP, Podsednik had one home run, two RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases.

His home run was a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth of a tied Game 2 off Brad Lidge, which essentially shut the door on the series for Astros' fans and all the "caring" Cub fans. Because, as the world knows, Cub fans are too good of people to cheer against the White Sox.

I'll believe that when they stop believing about believing, next year, and the "it" that's going to happen.

No. 2 Joe Crede in the 2005 ALCS/WS

Joe Crede batted .368 with two home runs, seven RBI, and a .350 OBP in the 2005 ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels. Crede was best remembered for hitting the game-winning double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth with the White Sox trailing 1-0 in the series; it was the only time the White Sox trailed in any playoff series in 2005.

Well I shouldn't say Crede was best remembered for it, but rather, A.J. Pierzynski was remembered for the dropped-third call to get to first base before Crede.

Crede then proceeded to bat .294 with two home runs, three RBI, and an OBP of .368 in the World Series against the Astros.

Crede's biggest hit was a lead-off home run in the top of the fifth inning of Game 3 with the Astros leading 4-0 and Roy Oswalt seemingly untouchable. The White Sox batted around, scoring four more runs after Crede's home run; it was the first time Oswalt had ever let up five runs in an inning.

What is hard to depict via stats is Crede's glove throughout the 2005 World Series run. Nothing seemed to get past him, whether to his left or to his right.

He was a complete vacuum and saved the White Sox many runs toward their first World Series Championship in 88 years.

Honorable mention to the glove of Juan Uribe, which made the left side of the infield impossible to get a hit throughout the postseason.

No. 1 The White Sox Pitching Staff in the 2005 Postseason

Pitching wins championships and the 2005 White Sox pitching staff from top to bottom was incredible during the 2005 postseason.

ALDS - 27.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 14 Ks, 8 BB, 24 Hits. 3-0

ALCS - 45.0 IP, 2.20 ERA, .689 WHIP, 22 Ks, 4 BB, 27 Hits. 4-1

WS - 41.0 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 36 Ks, 17 BB, 29 Hits. 4-0

ALDS Memorable Pitching Moments

Game 1 - Jose Contreras goes 7.2 innings, giving up two earned runs with six strikeouts and no walks.

Game 3 - With the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, Orlando Hernandez comes in with the bases loaded and gets two lazy pop outs and Johnny Damon to strikeout. No runs scored.

ALDS Memorable Pitching Moments

The entire thing: The only game the White Sox lost was 2-1. The entire pitching staff walked four batters in the five-game series.

Four complete game wins in a row by Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras.

The bullpen pitched two-thirds of an inning the entire series.

WS Memorable Pitching Moments

Game 1 - With the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead and after a Willy Taveras lead-off double, Neil Cotts replaces Contreras. After a single to Berkman, putting men on the corners with no outs, Cotts strikes out Morgan Ensberg and Mike Lamb. Bobby Jenks is called in and after Chris Burke steals second, putting men on second and third, Jenks strikes out Jeff Bagwell to end the inning.

Game 3 - The White Sox had three errors allowing two unearned runs. After tying the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Astros would not get a hit in the ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, or 14th inning. Hernandez, however, did walk a man, throw the ball past Konerko, allowing the runner to second on a pick-off and then allowed the runner to steal third with one out in the bottom of the ninth. He then proceeded to strike out two batters, with two walks in between.Of course.

After 14 innings, Mark Buehrle picked up the save becoming the only pitcher with a save and win in the World Series...along with a perfect game, a no-hitter, and a home run in his career.

Game 4 - Between Freddy Garcia, Cliff Politte, Neil Cotts, and Bobby Jenks, the White Sox pitched nine innings of shutout baseball for the 1-0 series clincher.