From 100 losses to October: White Sox clinch a playoff spot, chase AL Central crown
Chicago became the first team ever to reach the postseason right after back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Now it trails Cleveland by one game with two to play — and owns the tiebreaker.
The result: The Chicago White Sox are going to the playoffs. They clinched at least an American League wild card on Thursday, September 24, by routing the Kansas City Royals 9-1, the Associated Press reported.
That makes them the first team to reach the postseason after consecutive 100-loss seasons, according to AP. Chicago came in off three straight 100-loss years. This is its first playoff trip since 2021.
How they did it: Kyle Teel homered and reached base five times, and five different White Sox players drove in runs, AP reported. Starter David Sandlin allowed one run over six innings against the Royals, the team that drafted him. Kansas City starter Randy Dobnak committed two errors and got just four outs as Chicago jumped out early.
The win also mathematically eliminated the Baltimore Orioles from contention.
Friday: still one back. The White Sox kept rolling on Friday night, beating the last-place Colorado Rockies 6-1 in Chicago. Rookie Munetaka Murakami homered twice, raising his season total to 35, AP reported. Sean Burke allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings. Along the way, Colson Montgomery set a single-season strikeout record with 224, passing Mark Reynolds’ 223 from 2009.
But Cleveland matched them. The Guardians rallied for five runs in the ninth — helped by three straight bases-loaded walks — to beat the Royals 12-9 in Kansas City, AP reported.
The standings: Cleveland is 84-76. Chicago is 83-77. Both teams have two games left, and the White Sox hold the tiebreaker if they finish level, according to AP and CBS Sports. That means Chicago needs to gain just one game this weekend to take the division.
Why the division matters: The AL Central champion is expected to earn a first-round bye straight into the Division Series, CBS Sports reported. The runner-up would likely be the league’s sixth and final seed and have to play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, which begins Tuesday.
Around the league: Thursday was a big clinch night. Cleveland, the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres also locked up postseason spots, AP and Sportsnet reported. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong became the seventh player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club with his 40th stolen base, according to AP.
Up next: The White Sox host Colorado again Saturday night, with Davis Martin scheduled to face former White Sox pitcher José Quintana, per AP. Cleveland plays at Kansas City.
What this means: According to AP, no team had ever gone from back-to-back 100-loss seasons to the playoffs until now. And the White Sox aren’t done: gain one game on Cleveland over the final two days, and the tiebreaker hands them the division and a pass on the wild-card round.
Sources
- Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports) — White Sox clinch a playoff spot with a 9-1 win over Royals
- Associated Press (via ABC News) — Munetaka Murakami homers twice as playoff-bound White Sox top Rockies 6-1
- Associated Press (via ABC News) — Guardians maintain 1-game AL Central lead, beat Royals 12-9
- CBS Sports — MLB’s final regular-season weekend: Final playoff spots, more up for grabs
- Sportsnet — MLB wild-card roundup: Quartet of teams clinch playoff spots