Chase Meidroth’s three-run homer just rocketed the Chicago White Sox into the second round of the MLB playoffs, sealing a dominant 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
From 100 Losses to Playoff Firepower
Holy smokes, did you see that?! The White Sox, who everyone counted out after losing 100 games in each of their last three years, just punched their ticket to the next round of the playoffs. And they did it by fending off a spirited Houston Astros comeback with a clutch 7-3 win. This team defied every expectation just to get to post-season, and now they are moving on in just two games from their best-of-three series.
Chicago wasted no time making a statement, racking up four runs in the first inning. Sam Antonacci cracked a double off the game’s fourth pitch, then scored off Kyle Teel’s ensuing single. Andrew Benintendi’s line drive sent Teel flying over home plate, with Miguel Vargas right behind him after an overthrow. Benintendi himself then made it 4-0 off a Tristan Peters single. The Astros were so rattled, they yanked ace pitcher Hunter Brown with the bases loaded just to close out the first. Talk about an explosive start!
But the Astros are no slouches, and they weren’t going down easy. Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve each launched solo home runs in the first, second, and fourth innings, narrowing that deficit. Chicago went without a hit until the sixth. That’s when Meidroth stepped up, after two walks and three stolen bases, and just emphatically ended their barren run with a three-run missile over left field. Game over, series over!
Meidroth nailed it after the game: “That’s everything, man. Coming through for the guys, there’s no better feeling in the world.” He added, “I was just looking for something out there. Happened to get a good pitch. You know, he’s a really good pitcher. He left one up for me, and I was able to catch it in.” Simple, direct, and delivered exactly what the team needed. This White Sox team is absolutely for real.
Alec Bohm’s 10th-Inning Bomb Saved Philly’s Season
Meanwhile, over in the National League, the Phillies just refused to die. Their 4-3 victory over the Braves officially leveled their wildcard series at 1-1, forcing a winner-take-all decider on Thursday. This was a comeback for the ages, seriously.
Atlanta had taken the lead in the seventh inning after Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper misplayed a long fly ball. But Harper, ever the competitor, found his redemption in the eighth. After Kyle Schwarber absolutely crushed a homer off Dylan Lee, Harper stepped up and blasted his own solo shot to tie the game at 3-3. He was thinking, “I’ve got to come up big,” he said. “That ball in right field I probably should have caught obviously, so got to come through for my team right there. Great win.”
The game screamed into extra innings, and that’s when Alec Bohm became a legend. In the dramatic 10th, with two outs, Bohm unleashed a bomb for the winning run. He was pretty chill about it later, saying, “I don’t really know what happened. I was trying to pull the ball to the foul pole and I hit it to right field so I’ll take it.” Talk about clutch!
But it wasn’t over. The Braves still had to bat. Phillies relief pitcher Andrew Painter, making his playoff debut, let up two singles, and the tension was absolutely suffocating. But he dug deep and struck out pinch-hitter Dominic Smith to secure the victory. What a way to finish, right?
The White Sox are now gearing up for an American League division series clash against Cleveland. Over in the NL, the Phillies are fighting for their season on Thursday, with the winner of that decider getting to face the reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five series kicking off this Saturday. Baseball playoffs, man. It just doesn’t get any better.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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