The Chicago White Sox have turned one of the strangest seasons in recent MLB memory into something nobody has ever seen before.
After Thursday’s 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, the White Sox punched their ticket to the postseason and improved to 82-77. That alone would have been a huge turnaround for a club that had spent the previous three seasons buried in the standings. But the numbers behind this run make it even more startling.
Sarah Langs noted that the 2026 White Sox are the first team in MLB history to reach the playoffs after at least two consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons. In her words: "The White Sox!!!
First team in MLB history to make the playoffs after at least two consecutive 100+ loss seasons. What a story,"
The feat is even more remarkable when you zoom out. Chicago didn’t just endure two straight 100-loss seasons before this breakthrough - it suffered through three in a row, including a staggering 121-loss campaign in 2024. No club has ever followed back-to-back 100-loss seasons with a postseason berth, and the White Sox have now done it after three straight seasons of that kind of collapse.
The AL Central is still undecided, but that doesn’t change the historic nature of what Chicago has already pulled off. No matter how the rest of the postseason unfolds, the White Sox have already written a record that no other team in MLB history can claim.
In Other News...
White Sox Prospects Suddenly Face Bigger Questions After A Brutal 2026
The White Soxs prospect watch has taken a rough turn now that the 2026 minor league season is over, and a few of the organizations more notable names left the year with more questions than answers. Right-hander Tanner McDougal spent the season dealing with an injury and a role change, while infielder Jeral Perez had a harder time than expected adjusting to Double-A pitching, two developments that complicate the path the club had hoped to see from both players.
Christian Oppors season added another layer to the concern. The left-hander battled control problems and was eventually demoted, a setback that only deepens the uncertainty around his future role. For a farm system that needs progress, the issue now is not just who struggled in 2026, but which of these prospects can still put themselves back on track inside the White Sox organization. [Read more 🡒]
Colson Montgomery Just Reached A White Sox Milestone Nobody Wanted
Colson Montgomerys rookie season has delivered plenty of loud contact and enough production to keep the White Sox intrigued, even as one particularly unforgiving number now sits at the center of his year. The shortstop set a new club mark for strikeouts in a season, edging past a record long associated with Adam Dunn, while still giving Chicago real value with his power at the plate and steady work in the field.
Montgomery has hit 31 home runs and driven in 87 runs, good enough to rank among the American Leagues better power bats, and his defense has been a plus as well. His plus-10 fielding run value and top-tier outs above average show why the strikeout total does not tell the whole story, even if the milestone itself is the kind nobody in a rebuild wants to celebrate for long. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Mourn A Pitching Voice Fans Will Never Forget
The White Sox lost one of the most recognizable voices in their modern baseball history with the death of Don Cooper at 70. A fixture in the organization for 33 seasons, Cooper spent 18 years as the clubs major league pitching coach and became one of the defining figures behind a generation of White Sox arms, building his reputation through relentless teaching and a presence that players and fans alike came to know well.
Coopers path to that role started with a brief big league playing career before he moved into coaching, where his influence only grew. For White Sox fans, he was more than a coach on the bench or in the dugout; he was part of the teams identity for years, and his long run in Chicago left a lasting imprint on the pitchers he helped shape and the organization he served. [Read more 🡒]