Roy started the game throwing 97 mph fastballs and 74 mph curves. The White Sox hitters, who had probably just watched tape of all the fastballs he threw at the Cardinals, had no chance. In the bottom of the 1st, Biggio started the scoring as he has so many times with a double, coming home on Berkman's single.
Roy ran into a little trouble in the 2nd when Konerko lead off with a double. He cleaned it up with a dp and lots of curve balls. Most of the trouble was caused by two walks when he couldn't find the corner with fastballs. In the bottom the 2nd, Houston fans finally got the hang of fan interference. Jason Lane popped a foul to the right side and Konerko came to the rail and stuck his glove over, but a fan got his glove in front. He missed the catch, so did Konerko and the ball rolled back onto the field. The only mistake on the play was when the fan asked Konerko for the ball.
The bottom of the 3rd opened with the shortstop Uribe trying to backhand a slow roller by Everett. Uribe played the ball off his back foot and was late. Everett then gets caught off second as Oswalt couldn't make contact on the hit and run. However, Uribe botched the rundown, hitting Everett square in the stomach with the ball. He was able to retreat back to 1st. Good thing too because Biggio, Berkman, and Ensberg all singled. Two runs scored and the Astros were up 3-0.
In the 4th, Jermaine Dye hit a 390 foot lazy fly to the gap in left that would have been a homerun in most parks. In the bottom of the 4th, Jason Lane hit the wall in left, replays show it was actually a double, but the umpires called it to the right of the yellow line and the Astros reached their high water mark for the game, up 4-0.
The Oswalt Inning was the 5th. The first batter Crede homered and it got worse from there. Sparky abandoned the curve, was up with the fastball, and shards of metal started flying off of him. The big hit was Pierzynski's 2 out, 2 run double that made it 5-4 White Sox. The low point for absurdity in the inning came on Crede's 2nd time around. With 2 on, 2 outs, the count 1-2, Oswalt threw a high fastball that knicked Crede on the arm. Crede stares back and jaws going down the line. Carl "The Truth" Everett goes ballastic in the dugout. He and Garner get into a heated exchange, yelling at each other from the dugouts.
Roy got through the 6th, but walked Konerko to start the 7th and was lifted. He got a standing O on his exit, but his line shows the real problem he had on the night, 5 walks. He couldn't find the strike zone, wherever it might have been.
Bagwell came up with 1 out and Ausmus the tying runner on 2nd. On a 3-2 slider away, he popped to first, flung his bat, and held his hands in front of his face, thought better of screaming. Came to the dugout, took off his helmet, flinched, and thought better of slamming it, and placed it in the rack.
In the 8th Politte relieved Garland, then came Cotts and finally Hermansson to face Lane. Ensberg and Lamb worked 2 out walks. Bruntlett ran for Lamb at first. Jason Lane then scorched a double down the 3b line that just knicked the corner of the cutout, batboy flying. Had the ball got down the line, Bruntlett would also have scored, but the game was tied 5-5.
Hernandez came into the 9th to try to hold it for the White Sox. He was completely wild. Walked Burke. Garner came out to 2nd to tell Burke to run, run, run. He got his chance when El Duque threw the pickoff away. Then, with one out, Burke stole 3rd without a throw. Biggio looked at 4 balls, at least 2 of which were close enough to swing at. It was left to Taveras to make contact, Hernandez was so wild some of his pitches could have been considered pitch outs. So Willy Ks swinging. Berkman is intentionally walked and Ensberg, trying to be aggressive, swings at the first pitch, a curve away for strike one. After fouling off a fastball up, a hanging slider, he swings through a fastball down the middle.
Extra innings. The Astros had 2 on in the 10th; 2 on with 1 out in the 11th; runner on 1st no outs in the 13th; and runners 1st and 3rd, 2 outs when Everett popped to short to end it in the 14th.
Ex-Astro Geoff Blum essentially ended the game in the 14th with a homerun off Astacio. Zeke also later walked in a run, and left, to the shame of the remaining crowd, to boos.
HEY, what do you know, it's October 26th and the Astros are still playing! Backe tries to extend this thing, first pitch 7:38.
