Paul Konerko was chosen the most valuable player of the American League Championship Series and no one can argue the value of his two home runs and seven runs batted in.
The Chicago White Sox' first baseman, who can become a free agent at the end of the World Series, hit first-inning home runs in consecutive games, a two-run job on Friday and another for three runs on Saturday. The homers made things a little easier for the real MVPs of the ALCS -- the White Sox' starting pitchers.
Chicago scored enough runs to win the ALCS in five games, including three in a row at Angel Stadium. The series was clinched with a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday night.
But this series will be remembered most for two things.
It will be remembered for the call by plate umpire Doug Eddings in the ninth inning of the second game at U.S. Cellular Field. The call gave the White Sox another chance, one they did not miss in winning 2-1.
Eddings ruled that catcher Josh Paul had trapped the ball after A.J. Pierzynski swung and missed on a 3-2 pitch with two out while Paul thought he caught it. Pierzynski, who had taken a step to the dugout, alertly ran to first base when he heard no out call from Eddings. Paul, meanwhile, ignored something you're taught from Little League -- never take anything for granted -- and rolled the ball toward the mound on his way to the dugout.
Eddings said later he wishes he had made his call clearer than he did at the moment it happened.
The other reason the series will be memorable, and a better reason, will be the White Sox' starting pitching.
The White Sox have not won a World Series since 1917, but with a lot less whining than Boston Red Sox fans whose team until last year had not won since 1918. And the White Sox reached the World Series for the first time since 1959 the old-fashioned way, by pitching complete games.
Jose Contreras pitched the team's fourth successive complete game in Sunday's victory after losing the first game and pitching only 81/3innings. That gave the White Sox bullpen its only two-thirds of an inning of work in the series. Stand up Neal Cotts, as the winning answer in the trivia contest.
Sunday, Contreras followed Mark Buehrle (with thanks to Eddings and Paul), Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia in pitching complete games.
It was the first time in any postseason series that a team had pitched four complete games in a row since 1956, when the New York Yankees had five in a row (taking in wins and losses), including Don Larsen's perfect game.
But the four consecutive complete-game victories in one postseason series is the first since the 1928 Yankees in the World Series. The 1969 Baltimore Orioles had four complete games in a row but over two series. The league championship series were introduced in 1969.
"With the experience I've had in the playoffs, managing or playing, I've never seen four horses like that that come out of the gate and have pitched so well," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "You might have to go back to Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, that group, or the group Baltimore had in, I guess, '66. These guys pitched tremendous baseball. We had our hands full with trying to do some of the things we wanted to do offensively, and they got the job done offensively."
Vladimir Guerrero, the AL MVP in 2004, went 1-for-20 with one run batted in for the series. It appeared he was bothered by an injury that he wouldn't talk about.
And it is even worse than it looks. His only hit was in the infield. He grounded out 14 times -- two of which resulted in double plays -- and he popped out twice. He hit two balls out of the infield.