Houston – Baggage brought them together for the flight of a lifetime.
Jose Contreras was too soft, Juan Uribe too expensive, A.J. Pierzynski too obnoxious, Bobby Jenks too immature, Jermaine Dye too injured and manager Ozzie Guillen too loud.
But the Chicago White Sox, a band of misfits and renegades, found the time and place for redemption, the perfect stage to slay demons. They ended an 88-year drought, steamrolling to a World Series title over the jaw-agape Houston Astros.
“Everyone was against us,” designated hitter Carl Everett said. “But we didn’t care.”
The White Sox don’t have marquee names. Paul Konerko, their best player, is on his third team after beginning his pro career as a Los Angeles Dodgers catcher. They have guys who were unwanted, but nobody who is hated (though Pierzynski is working toward that goal).
They aren’t a sexy story – even with a Black Sox scandal and decades of futility, they played in the World Series with the worst television ratings.
Fox might want to get used to it. The White Sox may not be Boy Scouts, but they seem well-suited to pitch a tent atop baseball’s mountain.
“What makes them good is that they execute when they have to,” Astros general manager Tim Purpura said. “That’s the difference. All those little things add up.”
The Sox were built around pitching and defense. They won 11 of 12 playoff games, the most dominant run since the 1999 New York Yankees, because their staff posted a 2.55 ERA.
They won because their starters went 9-1 and routinely worked into the seventh inning. They won because they had a superior bullpen. Jenks, released by the Angels after topping 300 pounds and running into off-field issues, is 24.
“I don’t know many people who can hit him when he’s on,” Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell said.
The Sox won because third baseman Joe Crede, while a little unorthodox, turned his glove into a waiting obit for groundballs. They won because Uribe, as Everett and Boston Red Sox scouts noted, is the best shortstop in the American League.
“(Third baseman Joe) Crede can make all the plays,” said Uribe, whose dive into the stands to catch the second out of the ninth inning Wednesday will long be remembered on Chicago’s South Side.
The White Sox offense doesn’t scare anyone, with a lineup that will be frighteningly thin if they don’t pony up the $50 million or so necessary to re-sign Konerko. But they got hot, got lucky – every call that went Pierzynski’s way screamed that this championship was ordained – and have terrific balance.
Scott Podsednik is a catalytic leadoff hitter. Tadahito Iguchi is a selfless bunter. Dye and Konerko are legitimate power threats. In the playoffs, the White Sox outhit (.272 to .202), outhomered (18 to 9) and outran their opponents (13 steals to 7).
So now this team, made up of so many players no one else wanted, has the one thing everyone else wishes they had.
“(General manager) Kenny Williams gave me the best guys to fight for me and this team,” Guillen said.
“The unity of this team was unbelievable. We were all in this together, always pulling in the same direction.”
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
