This story originally ran in The Standard-Times on Oct. 4, 2005.

By Nick Tavares
Standard-Times staff writer

The Chicago White Sox are the top seed in the American League this year and they'll play host to the Red Sox today at 4 p.m.

So the question remains Who are these guys?

While the ChiSox may not have too many household names their roster is one that's solid up and down the lineup. They don't have nearly as many big bats as Boston but they don't have any visible holes or weaknesses either.

But it's not their hitting that has brought them this far. Their pitching has been their biggest asset with their 3.63 team ERA second only to Cleveland in the American League. They got off to a hot start at 57-29 in the first half but struggled in the second half barely floating above .500 at 42-40.

The Yang to Boston's Yin —here's how their roster shapes up.

C -- A.J. PIERZYNSKI

.257 avg. 18 HR 56 RBI

After recovering from a disappointing season in San Francisco last year Pierzynski returned to the AL Central and was a stabilizing force behind the plate. His numbers were slightly behind what he's put up in the past but his defensive game picked up where the offense lagged.

1B -- PAUL KONERKO

.283 40 100

A 2005 All-Star Konerko has made the absence of Frank Thomas almost go unnoticed over the past few seasons. Konerko had another typically great season at the plate leading all White Sox in home runs and RBI.

2B -- TADAHITO IGUCHI

.278 15 71

Iguchi's first season in the majors after coming from Japan was a fruitful one providing a solid bat and defense alongside double-play mate Juan Uribe. Iguchi committed only 14 errors at second in 624 total chances.

3B -- JOE CREDE

.252 22 62

Never bad never great Crede had another typically good season in his third year starting at the hot corner. Defensively he's stable and offensively he fits in well in the middle of the Chicago lineup. He was one of the few White Sox to hit as well in the second half as he had in the first.

SS -- JUAN URIBE

.252 16 71

Uribe displayed a great glove in his second season in Chicago committing only 16 errors in 687 chances. Uribe has also proven steady with the bat though his power numbers took a slight dip from last season.

RF -- JERMAINE DYE

.274 31 86

Dye was a very good offensive presence in an otherwise light-hitting lineup keeping his numbers in line with the better seasons in his first campaign in Chicago. Also provides a steady glove in right.

CF -- AARON ROWAND

.270 13 69

Rowand played well in center this year adding a speedy presence next to Scott Podsednik with 16 steals. He had the wheels to track down more than his share of balls in the outfield and was dependable at the bottom of the lineup.

LF -- SCOTT PODSEDNIK

.290 0 25

Maybe the most well known player on the Sox' roster Podsednik finished second in the American League with 59 stolen bases despite missing 33 games. His numbers seem less than impressive on first glance but the leadoff hitter was the catalyst to the Sox' season kick-starting a sometimes stagnant offense by getting on base often and causing havoc once he got there. There are very few players like Podsednik in the game today.

DH -- CARL EVERETT

.251 23 87

If ever a player was sure to get a warm welcome in Fenway ... Everett had a solid season in the DH spot for Chicago though his average was down from past seasons. He had a rough go at the plate in September though and had a corresponding Everett-like blowup to go along with it.

ROTATION

Jose Contreras (15.-6 3.61 ERA) takes the ball today and he has historically had a rough time against Boston with a less-than-impressive 11.67 ERA and .345 batting average against.

Mark Buehrle (16-8 3.12) will be matched-up against fellow lefty David Wells. Buehrle had another great year and is an innings eater staying on the hill for 245.1 frames in 2005.

Freddy Garcia (14-8 3.67) has a reputation for pitching well when it counts. He was second to Buehrle in innings pitched but surrendered 26 home runs as well.

John Garland (18-10 3.50) would start Game 4 if necessary. Garland is a candidate for the Cy Young award in the American League but this will be the pitcher's first appearance in the postseason. With spotty career numbers before this season this series could be Garland's chance to prove that he's no fluke.

BULLPEN

Orlando Hernandez will move from the rotation to join one of the league's best bullpens. After Shingo Takatsu fell apart Dustin Hermanson stepped into the closer's role nicely earning 34 saves. Damaso Marte brings a 3.77 ERA and 10.72 strike outs per nine innings behind Hermanson and Neil Cotts had a 1.94 ERA after struggling as a career starter.

BENCH

Timo Perez leads the way as the club's fourth outfielder playing all three positions well but contributing only 15 RBI. Willie Harris will serve as the team's utility infielder while Geoff Blum the team's backup third baseman is a former starter with 25 RBI this season. Chris Widger appeared in 45 games as Pierzynski's backup at catcher.

Contact Nick Tavares at at ntavares@s-t.com

This story appeared on Page C3 of The Standard-Times on October 4 2005.