Both Chicago Clubs Head Into Final Weekend Chasing More Than a Berth
The short version
- White Sox and Cubs clinched playoff spots minutes apart on Thursday
- White Sox are the first MLB team to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons
- White Sox need to win one more game than Cleveland over the final three to take the AL Central
- Cubs and Red Sox play a Friday doubleheader; Saturday's game moves to Tropicana Field
- Fourth time both Chicago teams have made the postseason in the same year
Days after the White Sox and Cubs locked up postseason trips within minutes of each other, each team returns to play Friday with additional goals on the line.
Chicago's two baseball clubs had little time to savor their achievements. The White Sox and the Cubs each secured a place in the postseason on Thursday, with the two clinches coming just minutes apart, and both were scheduled to be back on the field Friday.
For the White Sox, Friday brings a homecoming. The club returns to Rate Field on the South Side for its first appearance there since wrapping up a playoff berth, with the Colorado Rockies providing the opposition in the evening.
Ticket demand reflected the occasion. Javier Silva could not find a standard seat for Friday's contest, since every one had been taken, but managed to purchase standing room access so he could attend alongside his brother Gabriel, a White Sox season ticket holder. "We've got to see the Sox," Javier Silva said. "We're in the playoffs. We made it. After what we've been through last year and we made it the playoffs yeah."
The achievement carries historical weight. According to the report, no team in Major League Baseball history had previously followed back-to-back 100-loss campaigns with a playoff appearance until this White Sox club did it. The franchise also has a further prize in view: the American League Central crown, which would allow it to bypass the Wild Card round altogether. To finish atop the division, the White Sox need to win one more game than the Cleveland Guardians across their final three contests.
The Cubs, meanwhile, clinched a postseason spot for the second consecutive year. Their appearance alongside the White Sox marks just the fourth occasion on record in which both Chicago teams reached the playoffs in the same season. Gabriel Silva, for one, is optimistic about what lies ahead. "I'm excited, the White Sox are gonna go to the World Series!" he said.
The Cubs close their regular season on the road against the Boston Red Sox. Per ESPN's reporting on Friday afternoon, Saturday's contest between the clubs has been relocated to Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida, with Game 3 of the series set there for Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET. The first two games of the series were being played as a Friday doubleheader.
Fans traveled from beyond Chicago for the weekend. The Saldivar family, in town from Texas, took photographs outside Rate Field before Friday's game. Jeremy Saldivar noted that the ballpark was the fifteenth stadium the family had visited, while Kristen Saldivar said building a baseball tradition with the children was part of the appeal.
The Wild Card round gets underway next week, and the report noted that tickets for those games were selling quickly.
Colorado visits the White Sox at Rate Field on Friday, September 25, with first pitch at 7:40 PM EDT. The game airs on MLB.TV, Rockies.TV and CHSN.
Games to watch
