30 luckiest sports franchises

29. Chicago White Sox

To think that the Chicago White Sox actually won a World Series in the last 15 years is a bit insane, so you must think there was some luck involved to make that happen. If you did think so, you’re completely right.

The team won their first World Series in 88 years back in 2005, and broke a long drought of titles in Chicago that spanned between two different teams (the White Sox and the Cubs). The team instantly fell back down in the title race, and wasn’t in it any of the few years prior to this run, so they apparently caught lightning in a bottle and ran with it.

But, like all good runs, there was a certain amount of luck in the air for the White Sox, especially in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The team was down 1-0 in the series, and the two teams were tied in the ninth inning with two outs. It looked like White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski had struck out at the plate, and it appeared as if the game was heading to extra innings.

However, in a call that the Angels catcher didn’t catch (no pun intended), the umpire ruled the ball hadn’t been caught cleanly, and Pierzynski advanced to first on the missed call. After a ton of arguing about the ruling, play eventually resumed, Joe Crede doubled in the run for the White Sox, and the team tied the series.

After that moment, the team won the rest of the games they played that postseason, and won their first title since 1917 in the process. Without a little stroke of luck, we may be talking about the White Sox right now as a team with one of the longest droughts in baseball history.