Brewers' Failure to Sweep World Series Keeps 2005 White Sox Unique

The 2005 Chicago White Sox continue to look like one of the most dominant playoff teams of this century.

Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Jermaine Dye holds the Commissioner’s Trophy as the 2005 World Series Chicago White Sox are honored prior to a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the White Sox watch the World Series and think about what they can learn from the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, they can also breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to Tuesday night's outcome, something that made the South Side's last championship team so special remains intact.

The Brewers came within three outs of sweeping the Rays, but a disastrous bottom of the 12th inning in Game 4 led to a walk-off victory for the Rays. It was only the second time the Brewers had faced defeat in the playoffs. The first came in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, 4-3.

Now losing their second game of the postseason, the Brewers will not be able to tie the 11-1 record held by the 2005 White Sox and the 1999 New York Yankees. This has been the standard ever since teams needed to win at least three rounds to clinch the World Series.

In the immediate aftermath of Game 4, many Sox fans took to social media to celebrate that the 2005 World Series champions will remain the most recent team to achieve that lofty 11-1 mark. Because God forbid somebody else eventually do it, too!

In all seriousness, it's understandable for Sox fans to feel threatened by the possibility of the only World Series championship team in their lifetimes being overshadowed. After all, that has become a particularly sore subject over the years thanks to some national media outlets. At times, it even feels like there are portions of Chicago that do not even know the team exists.

To be sure, the organization does have themselves to blame for some of that. It's been an incredibly bumpy ride ever since that last World Series victory. They have gone on to appear in just four postseason series in that time frame, and they didn't win their first one until sweeping the Houston Astros in the Wild Card this year.

Nevertheless, nothing can take away what the 2005 Sox did, no matter how much time passes. If nothing else, it's a reminder to the fan base that their favorite franchise had at least one postseason that baseball history will never forget, even if the people who are supposed to know it do.

The 2005 White Sox will remain remarkably impressive no matter what happens in the future. Also, every team deserves to write its own championship chapter, and the Brewers are one win away from finishing off theirs. You might as well tip your cap to them.