White Sox clinch playoff berth with 9-1 win after years of 100-loss seasons

The White Sox are going back to the postseason. Chicago scored three runs in each of the first two innings Thursday, beat Kansas City 9-1 and secured at least an American League wild-card berth. The official MLB game page confirms the final and Chicago's 82-77 record with three games left. The franchise had not reached the playoffs since 2021.

This is a sharp reversal for a club that lost at least 100 games in each of the preceding seasons. The Associated Press game report identifies the White Sox as the first major league team to make the postseason after consecutive 100-loss years. Chicago's place in October is secure even while the AL Central title remains unsettled.

Sam Antonacci opened the game with a single. Kyle Teel reached on a bunt after Royals starter Randy Dobnak threw wide of first, and Miguel Vargas singled home the first run. Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice fly and Tristan Peters' RBI single stretched the lead to 3-0. The White Sox kept attacking Dobnak in the second, when his second throwing error helped another run score. Chicago finished that inning ahead 6-0. It was a clinching game decided early by contact, speed and mistakes forced on the defense.

Teel reached base five times and hit a solo homer, his fifth of the season. Watch the official MLB clip of the homer. Five different White Sox drove in runs. Vargas finished with two RBI singles, while Teel scored three times. The lineup produced 12 hits without needing a close ninth inning to settle its postseason place.

David Sandlin gave the bullpen room to work. Facing the team that drafted him, he allowed one run on five hits over six innings and struck out seven. Salvador Perez hit Kansas City's lone homer, his 20th. Dobnak retired just four hitters, allowed six runs, four earned, and made two errors. The early gap meant Chicago could finish the afternoon with the wild card secured and no late rally required. MLB's game recap video shows the scoring and the clinching finish from this game.

The White Sox still have something to play for. They began Thursday one game behind Cleveland in the division, and the Guardians later beat Boston 1-0. Chicago hosts last-place Colorado for its final three games; Cleveland travels to Kansas City. The standings leave the division race open, but the larger achievement is already settled: after years at the bottom, Chicago has earned a postseason spot on the field.