The White Sox moved one game closer to winning their first American League Division Series on Wednesday thanks to their ability to seize the moment.
Mark Buehrle overcame a rough start, and rookie Bobby Jenks pitched two scoreless innings to complete a 5-4 win over the defending world champions.
“We have a lot of guys who have never been there before, but they all understand what’s it about,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said after the Sox became the seventh team in ALDS history to overcome a deficit of four runs or more to win.
Of the 22 teams that took a 2-0 advantage in the division series, 18 won it.
The White Sox displayed the same relentless style that enabled them to humble Boston 14-2 in Game 1. Their ability to sustain rallies and starting pitching leads them to believe they will put away Boston.
“What’s helped us was playing that series in Cleveland,” Dye said of last week’s three-game sweep at Jacobs Field. “Guys wanted to prepare for the playoffs.”
The White Sox showed no signs of losing their composure after falling behind 4-0.
Carl Everett led off with a single and scored from first on Aaron Rowand’s double. Pierzynski hit a grounder to second that moved Rowand to third.
Joe Crede then squeezed a grounder up the middle for a single to score Rowand.
That set up the biggest play, Uribe’s slow grounder to second that rolled under Tony Graffanino’s glove. One out later, Tadahito Iguchi glared at home plate umpire Bill Miller over a strike call, then ripped Wells’ 1-1 curve over the left-field fence.
“I don’t want anybody to make an error, but it was good for the team,” Uribe said. “I like it. When Iguchi hit the home run, I like it more.”
