The White Sox have a three game lead after the longest world series game in history.
By the time the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series slithered around early Wednesday morning at Minute Maid Park, all that pregame controversy — something involving a roof? — seemed like it had been eons ago, and pointless at that. Even the fifth inning, when a neat, seamless story about the Houston Astros and their savior of an ace, the one who would rescue their season, began to unravel at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, seemed like it must have occurred a day before. Because it did.They played deep into Tuesday night, under the stars, big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas, and they played well into Wednesday morning. And at 1:20 a.m. CDT, the Great Outdoor Game — the longest contest in World Series history, 5 hours 41 minutes — came to a swift and stunning conclusion, with the White Sox winning, 7-5, to move within one victory of baseball’s ultimate prize.
It came to end because of one swing of the bat by White Sox reserve infielder Geoff Blum, the 40th player to be entered into this night’s messy, lengthy box score. It was Blum who, at 12:54 a.m., hit a two-out homer off Houston’s Ezequiel Astacio, a rookie right-hander, in the top of the 14th inning, yanking a 2-0 pitch over the wall in the right-field corner.
Chicago’s lead seems insurmountable at this point, but never say never.
