Chicago's Dye earns MVP honor

HOUSTON -- Jermaine Dye drove in the first run of the World Series for the Chicago White Sox, and the last.

From start to finish, he certainly was the most valuable player.

Dye's two-out RBI single off Brad Lidge in the eighth inning snapped a scoreless tie and sent Chicago to its first championship since 1917 with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.

The White Sox polished off a four-game sweep thanks in no small part to their big right fielder, who went 7-for-16 (.438) with a home run and three RBIs to earn MVP honors. He even scored three times and walked twice.

It was a much better performance than his first trip to the World Series. As a rookie with the Atlanta Braves in 1996, Dye was 2-for-17 (.118) with one RBI in a loss to the New York Yankees.

This time, big hits and pure joy. And it all capped a remarkable personal resurgence.

A proven slugger, the oft-injured Dye struggled so much with Oakland in 2003 that backup catcher Adam Melhuse pinch hit for him in the playoffs with the season on the line.

There was nobody Chicago would rather have at the plate in this World Series.

Dye homered off Roger Clemens in the first inning of Game 1, giving the White Sox a quick lead in their first Fall Classic since 1959.

Then he wound up in the middle of a ruckus in Game 2, when plate umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that Dye was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning even though replays showed the ball glanced off his bat.

Dye knew that all along and admitted it later. But he kept quiet at that moment and went to first. Paul Konerko followed with a go-ahead grand slam, and the White Sox pulled out a 7-6 victory on Scott Podsednik's surprising homer in the ninth.

Looking to find a comfortable spot and cut down on some travel, Dye signed a $10.15 million, two-year contract with Chicago as a free agent in the offseason.

Dye gave the White Sox plenty of production hitting .274 in 529 at-bats with 31 homers and 86 RBIs.

And it only got better in October.