{
  "id": 11288230,
  "title": "Ex-White Sox star roasts Astros after lopsided AL Wild Card Series",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/ex-white-sox-star-roasts-astros-after-lopsided-al-wild-card-series",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T21:44:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ex-white-sox-star-roasts-214417821.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ex-White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski harshly criticized the Houston Astros following their 2-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox in the American League Wild Card Series. The White Sox claimed a 6-3 victory on Tuesday and a 7-3 win on Wednesday, marking their first postseason series win since the 2005 World Series. This triumph marked the White Sox's first playoff appearance since 2021, a milestone in a season that defied recent history. Pierzynski highlighted the stark difference between the two teams in a tweet shared on X, formerly Twitter, stating that the White Sox appeared like the seasoned veterans while the Astros seemed like they'd never experienced the postseason. The White Sox showcased their dominance, scoring four runs in the first inning of Game 2 against Houston's Hunter Brown, who failed to get three outs. Houston managed to reduce the deficit to 4-3 in the same inning with homers from Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve. Chase Meidroth then broke the game open in the sixth inning with a three-run homer off Bryan Abreu, extending the White Sox's lead to 7-3. Chicago sealed the win and completed the sweep from there. The result carried significant weight for the White Sox, who had not won a playoff series in 21 years. The team finished the regular season with an 84-78 record after three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including a post-1900 record 121 losses in 2024. They also became the first team in MLB history to reach the playoffs following consecutive 100-loss seasons. Will Venable led this turnaround in his second year. Meanwhile, the Astros finished the season with an 81-81 record, securing their seventh AL West title since 2017 and reaching the postseason for the ninth time in 10 seasons. The loss extended Houston's home postseason skid to nine games. The White Sox now advance to face the Cleveland Guardians in a best-of-five ALDS, with Pierzynski’s comments underscoring the stark contrast between the two clubs during the Wild Card round.",
  "summary": "Former Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski criticized the Houston Astros after Chicago swept the two-game American League Wild Card Series at Daikin Park. The White Sox won 6-3 on Tuesday and 7-3 on Wednesday, advancing to the AL Division Series for their first postseason series victory since the 2005 World Series. The sweep came in Chicago’s […] The post Ex-White Sox star roasts Astros…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Braves announce left-hander Ray Kerr to start against Phillies’ Aaron Nola in NL Wild Card Series",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/braves-announce-left-hander-ray-kerr-to-start-against-phillies-aaron",
        "published": "2026-10-01T19:35:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Phillies vs Braves live updates, time, TV, Game 3 of NL Wild Card Series",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/phillies-vs-braves-live-updates-time-tv-game-3-of-nl-wild-card-series",
        "published": "2026-10-01T21:06:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}