White Sox Champs!

White Sox end 88-year drought, sweep Astros to win World Series

For now, though, the Windy City can celebrate the White Sox, the team from the South Side who hadn't won a Series since 1917 and hadn't played in one since 1959. No longer will they be remembered for Shoeless Joe Jackson's Black Sox, who threw the 1919 Series against Cincinnati, but rather as champions -- improbable as that might seem.

Chicago's sweep, its eighth straight postseason win and 16th in 17 games overall, made it only the second team to go through the postseason 11-1 since the extra round of playoffs was added in 1995, joining the 1999 Yankees. But the White Sox fans didn't get to enjoy a single celebration in person: The division title and all three rounds of the postseason were won on the road, a baseball first.

Astros players were stone-faced, then came out to wave to their fans and throw caps into the seats. Houston was 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the night and 10-for-48 (.208) in the Series, and the Astros were shut out for the final 15 innings, stranding 18 runners.

So, it will be the Rangers vs. the Cubs next year? Stranger things…