Freeland and Kay Match Up as Rockies Close Season Against White Sox

Left-handers Kyle Freeland and Anthony Kay meet in Game 162 as Colorado closes a 100-loss season Sunday in Chicago.

The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season comes to a close on Sunday, September 27, when the Colorado Rockies visit the Chicago White Sox on the city's South Side for the final game on both schedules. Game 162 of 162 features a pairing of left-handed starters: Kyle Freeland takes the mound for Colorado, while Anthony Kay gets the call for Chicago.

Colorado's win over the White Sox on Saturday carried consequences beyond its own record. The result decided the American League Central, delivering the division title to the Cleveland Guardians and ending Chicago's hopes of claiming the division.

For the Rockies, the finale is a chance to put a positive finish on a rough September and a long, difficult campaign. The club is closing a fourth straight season of at least 100 losses. Winning on Sunday would also bring Colorado its first series win since the opening days of the month.

Freeland, a 33-year-old left-hander, may be making his final start for the club based in his hometown. The Denver native has fought injuries and poor results throughout the year. His ERA sits at 6.58 through 25 starts, and only once in his career — in 2019, when he grappled with his mechanics and spent part of the season at Triple-A Albuquerque — has he posted a worse number.

His most recent start went poorly as well, with the Arizona Diamondbacks collecting nine hits and five earned runs against him at Coors Field. Should this prove to be Freeland's farewell in a Colorado uniform, he will be chasing a far better result than that.

Kay, a 31-year-old veteran left-hander, wraps up his first full major league season since 2023 after pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan in 2024 and 2025. He has made 32 appearances for the White Sox this year, 30 of them starts, with the other two out of the bullpen, and his ERA stands at 4.53. Across 153 innings, he has recorded 125 strikeouts against 54 walks.

Command has been an occasional problem for Kay, whose 25 hit batters lead the league. He works primarily off a sweeper, pairing it with a mid-90s four-seam fastball and a sinker. A cutter, a changeup and a conventional slider fill out his repertoire, and Sunday will mark the first time he has faced Colorado in the majors.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. MDT on Sunday. Viewers can watch the finale on Rockies.TV, while radio coverage runs on KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM. A Spanish-language broadcast is available on KNRV 1150.

The White Sox do not wait long for their next game. They are scheduled to face the Rangers/Astros on the road Tuesday, September 29, at 5:00 PM EDT, with Peacock and NBCSN handling the broadcast.