A TEAM "FIT TO BE TIED"
 2005 ALDS, GAME #3
Swept by the Chicago White Sox

October 7, 2005 ... Eleven months and 10 days after winning their first World Series in 86 years, the 2005 Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs, victims of an ignominious sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, who took the Game 3 clincher, 5-3, before 35,496 stunned citizens of Red Sox Nation gathered at Fenway Park.

Just like in 2004, the season ended on a feeble grounder by Edgar Renteria. Unfortunately for Sox fans, this year Renteria was playing for the local nine and his routine chopper sent the Sox home crying while the other guys popped champagne.

Chicago beat the Red Sox in straight sets, winning, 14-2, in Game 1; 5-4 in Game 2; then taking the clincher at Fenway thanks in large part to a remarkable performance by 40-year-old (at least) Cuban right-hander Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. There's little pressure in life after you've already stared down Fidel Castro, and Hernandez crushed the Sox' spirit when he entered a 4-3 game in the sixth inning and got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam.

The Franconamen slugged their way to 95 wins and a first-place tie in the American League East with the Yankees, but the loss of free agent Pedro Martinez (Mets) and closer Keith Foulke (knee surgery), compounded by Curt Schilling's difficulty recovering from off-season ankle surgery, gave the Sox a giant mound of pitching woes. At the end, even the bats failed them as Damon, captain, Jason Varitek, and veteran Bill Mueller wore down and slumped badly.

Sox fans came to Fenway full of hope that this year's edition could come back from a deficit in the same way the 2003 and 2004 teams had done. The White Sox had other plans. Chicago struck first, reaching Tim Wakefield for a pair of runs in the third. No. 9 batter Juan Uribe hit a two-out double to left and scored on a double into the left- field corner by Scott Podsednik. Tadahito Iguchi, who beat the Sox with a three-run homer off Wells in Game 2, followed with a first- pitch single up the middle and it was 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

The Red Sox tied it in the fourth on back-to-back home runs by David Ortiz and Ramirez. The pair hit 21 homers in the Sox' final 22 games, but failed to go over the wall in the first two games in Chicago. Ortiz's leadoff blast was a towering fly to straightaway center that was carried out by a stiff wind. Manny then hit an opposite-field fly that curled around the Pesky Pole to make it 2- 2.

Nothing changed until the sixth, which lasted almost a full hour and contained more thrills and chills than some homestands. Wakefield walked Jermaine Dye to start the inning, then surrendered a two-run homer to Chicago cleanup man Paul Konerko.

Manny led off the bottom of the inning with a monstrous homer that was last seen bound for the Mass. Pike. That was it for Chicago starter Freddy Garcia. Damaso Marte came on and promptly loaded the bases with a single and two walks. Then White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen summoned Hernandez.

El Duque was dazzling. His ball was moving like Allen Iverson in traffic. He got the suddenly-lumbering Varitek to pop up. He worked the count to 3-and-2 against Tony Graffanino. The goat of Game 2 fouled off three full-count pitches, then popped to short. Damon was next and again the count went to 3-and-2. After a foul, El Duque fooled Damon with a wicked breaking ball that wound up in the dirt. Damon committed with his swing and was rung up to end the inning. Hernandez got the side in order in the seventh, then came back out for the eighth, after "Sweet Caroline." But it was more of the same. John Olerud hit a two-out single, but Varitek fanned weakly to send the game into the ninth.

The winners tacked on an insurance run, employing the rarely-seen suicide squeeze. With catcher A.J. Pierzynski breaking from third, Uribe bunted against Timlin and Pierzynski scored easily to make it 5-3. Bobby Jenks closed the deal, getting Graffanino, Damon, and Renteria with no trouble.

The Nation was stunned. The defending champs were done. And in the end, the theme of 2005 was "Wait Till Last Year."