White Sox Clinch Playoff Spot, Erasing Three Straight 100-Loss Seasons
The short version
- White Sox beat the Royals 9-1 Thursday to clinch their first playoff berth since 2021.
- First team ever to make the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons.
- Chicago sits one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central and holds the tiebreaker.
- Currently in the third AL wild-card spot; postseason could begin as soon as Tuesday.
Chicago reached the postseason for the first time since 2021 by beating Kansas City 9-1, becoming the first club ever to do so after three consecutive 100-loss years.
The Chicago White Sox are headed to the playoffs. A 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, played before a crowd of 15,592, sealed the club's first postseason appearance since 2021.
In doing so, Chicago accomplished something no team in baseball history had done: reaching the playoffs after losing 100 or more games in each of the previous two seasons — let alone three. According to Stats Perform, only three clubs had even made the playoffs one year after a 100-loss campaign: the 2024 Royals, the 2020 Miami Marlins and the 2017 Minnesota Twins. The White Sox lost 101 games in 2023, a modern major-league record 121 in 2024 and 102 last year.
Chicago jumped on Kansas City early, putting up three runs in both the first and second innings. Third baseman Miguel Vargas, the team's steadiest bat all season, delivered run-scoring singles in each of those frames and ended the night with two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Kyle Teel connected on a solo homer during a two-run fourth. Royals starter Randy Dobnak was chased after 1 1/3 innings, charged with six runs, four of them earned, on six hits. White Sox right-hander David Sandlin took advantage of the cushion, holding Kansas City to a single run across six innings for the win.
The clubhouse celebration followed quickly. A congratulatory message for the White Sox appeared on the Kauffman Stadium video board as players exchanged handshakes on the field, and once indoors the party included music and players dousing one another with drinks.
Manager Will Venable credited the group for believing a season like this was possible back in spring training and praised his coaching staff for steering the roster through the year. Vargas called the group special, saying the team had been pursuing this moment for a long time. First baseman Munetaka Murakami, speaking through an interpreter, called the accomplishment tremendous and unbelievable, and shortstop Colson Montgomery said the players had always believed in themselves and each other even through the difficult recent seasons.
The road to Thursday's clincher was not smooth. Chicago opened the year 6-13 and dropped 10 of its first 15 games this month before closing with wins in five of seven to punch its ticket. General manager Chris Getz described the two-year journey as an amazing ride and lauded the players as fearless, noting they arrive ready to play regardless of the previous day's results. He also pointed to the support the team received from fans as the summer went on.
Chicago's exact playoff role remains unsettled. The White Sox currently occupy the third American League wild-card position and sit one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central race, with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand thanks to winning the regular-season series. A wild-card assignment would mean a series starting as soon as Tuesday, while a division crown would come with a first-round bye.
Venable noted that his players treated every pitch and every out as critical from the game's opening moments. Getz added that the club still has work ahead and a shot at the division, but that what has been achieved deserves to be celebrated as a big deal for the organization and the city.
White Sox fans can watch the next step in the race Friday, September 25, when the Colorado Rockies visit Rate Field in Chicago. First pitch is set for 7:40 PM EDT, with the game available on MLB.TV, Rockies.TV and CHSN.
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