White Sox complete two-game sweep of Astros in AL wild-card series
Chicago eliminated Houston in the American League wild-card series, winning 7-3 in Game 2 as the Astros' offense failed to overcome early pitching deficits.
The Chicago White Sox eliminated the Houston Astros in the American League wild-card series on Wednesday, winning Game 2 by a 7-3 margin. After falling behind 4-0 in the second game, Houston rallied with solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and José Altuve, but could not sustain the momentum.
Houston’s starting pitchers struggled early in both games. Rookie reliever AJ Bluhaw (typo corrected to AJ Bluhaw) allowed three walks in two outs in Game 1, and right-hander Hunter Brown exited after just one inning in Game 2, giving up five hits and a walk to Chicago’s No. 9 hitter Colson Montgomery.
Chicago’s manager Will Venable brought in right-hander Huascar Brazobán for the fifth inning, followed by left-hander Anthony Kay. Kay struck out Yordan Álvarez with two runners on base, then retired Isaac Paredes on a walk and José Altuve on a fly ball, leaving the Astros trailing by one run.
In the sixth inning, Chicago’s second baseman Chase Meidroth hit a three-run home run off Astros reliever Bryan Abreu, extending the lead to 7-3. The Sox held that advantage through the remainder of the game, securing their first postseason series win since 2005.
The loss marked Houston’s ninth consecutive postseason defeat at its home ballpark, Daikin Park, and the first series win for Chicago in the wild-card round since the 2026 season.