The White Sox are headed back to October.
Chicago wrapped up a playoff berth Thursday with a 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, securing at least an American League wild-card spot and ending the franchise’s postseason drought at three seasons. It’s the club’s first trip to the playoffs since 2021, and it comes with a slice of history: no major league team had ever reached the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons until this one did it.
That run of misery is part of what makes this turnaround stand out. The Sox lost 101 games in 2023, then dropped a modern-record 121 in 2024, then lost 102 last year. Now they’re 82-77 and playing meaningful baseball in September.
The clincher came behind a strong outing from David Sandlin. The right-hander, drafted by the Royals four years ago out of Oklahoma, went six innings and gave up one run on five hits.
Kansas City’s only scoring came on Salvador Perez’s 20th homer in the fourth. The Royals also finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Chicago handled the season series too, taking nine of 13 from Kansas City after Tuesday’s wild 14-11 game at Kauffman.
The Sox aren’t done chasing something bigger. They entered Thursday one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and own the tiebreaker after winning the season series.
Three games remain at Rate Field against the last-place Colorado Rockies, while Cleveland finishes in Boston before heading to Kansas City. Winning the division would give Chicago a bye and home-field advantage in the Division Series.
If not, the wild-card path is already secured.
Thursday brought another layer to the day: Baltimore was knocked out, and the Cubs also clinched, making it the first time both Chicago teams have punched their tickets on the same day. It’s only the fourth season in which both clubs have reached the postseason together.
For a team that was still buried a year ago, the climb has been steep. This season’s Sox built a 5.5-game lead in the Central in August, weathered the slump that followed, and finished the job on the road.
The last White Sox playoff team fell to Houston in the 2021 ALDS. This group now has three games left to determine whether it’s a division winner or a wild-card team.
Either way, October baseball is back on the South Side.
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White Sox Mourn A Pitching Voice Fans Will Never Forget
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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 🡒]