Chicago White Sox clinch playoff berth with 9-1 win, marking a rare feat in a remarkable turnaround season

LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune on Sep 24, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No team had ever made the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons, let alone three.

Until the 2026 Chicago White Sox, that is.

The Sox completed a feat few saw coming, qualifying for the playoffs Thursday with a 9-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

It’s an incredible turnaround for the Sox, who lost 101 games in 2023, a modern-day major-league record 121 in 2024 and 102 last season.

According to Stats Perform, only three teams previously made the playoffs the season after losing 100 games: the 2024 Royals, the 2020 Miami Marlins and the 2017 Minnesota Twins.

Add another team to the list in this year’s White Sox.

The Sox know they’ll be one of the six American League teams competing in the playoffs. It’s just a matter of in which capacity.

They currently hold the third AL wild-card slot. The Sox also are competing for the AL Central title, entering Thursday one game behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians. The White Sox hold the tiebreaker by winning the regular-season series.

The Sox could begin their postseason as soon as Tuesday in the wild-card round or, if they win the Al Central, could have a first-round bye.

The Sox wasted little time Thursday in securing their first playoff berth since 2021, scoring three runs in the first inning and three more in the second. Miguel Vargas, the team’s most consistent hitter throughout the season, had an RBI single in the first and another in the second.

They knocked Royals starter Randy Dobnak out of the game in the second inning. The right-hander allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Kyle Teel added a solo home run as part of a two-run fourth inning.

Also: Sox starter David Sandlin made the most of all the run support, allowing one run over six innings on the way to the win.

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