By virtue of their sweep in the Division Series, the White Sox got to enjoy a three-day break in between the two series, while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and New York Yankees battled it out. Due to a rain-out, the Angels had to fly from New York to Anaheim for Game 5 of the series, and then fly to Chicago in back to back nights. It was assumed that the White Sox had an advantage in this series, because they were very well rested and Los Angeles was very tired. However, that was not the case. The Angels were led by a home run from Garret Anderson in the second, and Chicago was unable to execute in the field, leading to two more Angel runs. The White Sox got on the board with a Joe Crede home run in the third. They added on another run to cut the lead to 3–2 with A. J. Pierzynski's RBI single in the fourth. However, that was all the production the Sox could muster, as they wasted opportunities in the later innings. A solid start by José Contreras couldn't save the Sox either. Contreras went 8 innings, giving up three runs. It was Contreras's first loss since August 15, when he suffered defeat to the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox were now in a hole, and faced a crucial Game 2, or risk going to Anaheim down 2–0 in the series. Final Score: Los Angeles 3, White Sox 2.