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Ah, the smell of playoff season . . . one Chicago team in and one more to go!
It has been move than 100 years since the Cubs and the Sox matched up in the playoffs together, and they’re trying to bring a repeat to the table. As the Sox inch closer to their playoff berth, we are hopeful that they can overcome the speed bump laid out in front of them and create history. That speed bump is the Minnesota Twins.
Talk is already going on around the clubhouse about the series against the Twins, and it’s coming straight from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Putting Javier Vazquez to the test, he’s put pressure on Javy to pull off a “big” win in the “big game” series opener against the Twins on Tuesday. Guillen has had a number of outreaches through the media this year, some of them getting him into trouble with the MLB, resulting in public apologies and one even leading to a fine.
This is the series that could determine it all. With three wins, a repeat of history will take place—the White Sox will be in the playoffs for the first time since winning the title, and the Chicago Cubs have already clinched their division last week at Wrigley Field, creating a classic inter-city battle. The Sox currently have a two-and-a-half game lead over the Twins and can close the deal by winning three straight in Minnesota.
The Twins have been better at home as of late, and against the White Sox they are five for six in the Metrodome. The Sox will still have to compete without their biggest scorer, Carlos Quentin, who practiced batting last week in Kansas City for the first time since his wrist surgery. Most of the runs scored by the Sox have been from home runs, and Carlos Quentin leads the AL in home runs at 36, tied for first with Miguel Cabrera, despite his injury. Other big hitters include Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome, who have over 80 runs and RBIs each for the season. Alexei Ramirez has also been a surprise, showing off his worth on the field and at the plate. In the past 10 games alone, Ramirez has driven in 13 runs and held a batting average close to .300. Overall, the White Sox are ranked 19th in runs on the road, so they might have a little bit of a rough patch ahead of them to overcome.
If the White Sox do end up pulling off three straight wins in Minnesota, the playoffs will not be an easy road. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays wait for their first-ever postseason opponent in franchise history. Even on the flip side, if the White Sox don’t pull off Ws in Minnesota, Cleveland will have their chance to knock the Sox out of the postseason and gain revenge for the 2005 season when the White Sox took them out of the wild card race at the very end.
Either way, the outlook of a Chicago Red Line Series is a nice reminder of how great this city really is. Having both teams in the World Series would benefit Chicago as it campaigns to be the host city of the 2016 Olympics as well, and showing its pride from both sides of the city would be a great feat. But what about those White Sox fans who follow the motto, “I root for two teams: The White Sox and whoever plays the Cubs”?
The White Sox-Cubs record is currently tied at 33 games apiece in interleague play since 1997, which would make for an even more interesting series. The White Sox won the only World Series between the two teams in six games, but that was back in 1906. If the Sox finish the season well, this postseason will be the first time both teams have made it to the playoffs since then.
So as hopeful as we are in the city of Chicago for that day to come, we will need to make it through two more series to see if history really can repeat itself and if the White Sox can pull off a sweep in the Metrodome.
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