King Kaufman's Sports Daily

World Series: White Sox win two, umps blow another one. Get a second opinion, Blue!

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Oct. 24, 2005 | Are you getting the feeling the White Sox are living a charmed life? Are you getting the feeling we're going to be hearing more about instant replay in baseball?

Yet another controversial umpire's call went Chicago's way Sunday, and no one will ever know whether the Sox would have beaten the Houston Astros to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series without it. They did just that, though, winning 7-6 on something you don't see every day, or on hardly any day: a Scott Podsednik home run.

Three times in their five-game American League Championship Series win over the Los Angeles Angels, the White Sox benefited from close calls. One of them the umpires obviously got right, Kelvim Escobar's empty-glove tag on A.J. Pierzynski in Game 5. One was obviously blown, the missed catcher's interference against Pierzynski on Steve Finley's double-play ball in Game 4.

And on the most famous, the bounced -- or not -- third strike by Josh Paul that let Pierzynski reach base with the eventual winning run in Game 2, well, that's another thing we'll never know about. Replays were inconclusive.

In Game 2 of the World Series Sunday, the Astros were leading the White Sox 4-2 in the seventh inning. Chicago had two men on, two out and Jermaine Dye batting against reliever Dan Wheeler. A 3-2 pitch ran inside and hit Dye, who was awarded first base, loading the bases.

Except that to the naked eye, though not to home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson's naked eye, it looked like the ball hit Dye's bat, not his right arm, and the ruling should have been foul ball.

Astros manager Phil Garner and catcher Brad Ausmus pleaded their case and asked Nelson to ask other umpires for help, but Nelson, displaying all the confidence in his call that Greg Gibson had displayed in his call at second base in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series -- a call he knew he might have blown -- declined.

With the bases loaded, Paul Konerko greeted new pitcher Chad Qualls by drilling a pitch into the left-field bleachers for a grand slam and a 6-4 White Sox lead. The Astros tied the game in the top of the ninth on an unbelievably clutch pinch single by Jose Vizcaino, one of those "You're pinch-hitting with who? Oh! Hey, good call" moves by Garner.

Then Podsednik, with one home run in 614 plate appearances this year, postseason included, won the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth off Astros closer Brad Lidge, who was last seen giving up a game-winning homer in Game 5 of the NLCS to Albert Pujols.

Note to all television personalities who comment on baseball: Podsednik's home run is a rare chance to use the word "ironic" correctly. Many in the commentariat will use the word correctly when referring to the go-go, smallball Sox winning a game on a pair of big home runs. They'll just be wrong on the facts. The White Sox got to the World Series with pitching and home runs.

Next page: Arrogance, not bad calls, will give replay momentum. Plus: Astros demand a recount