White Sox Secure Playoff Spot, Eyeing World Series Run After Historic Rebound

In one of the feel-good stories of 2026, the Chicago White Sox have clinched a playoff berth. They officially did so by virtue of a win on Thursday afternoon in Kansas City, joining an American League bracket that already includes the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox. The White Sox built up a 5 ½-game lead in the AL Central in August and still have a shot to win the division, but for now, the bare minimum is a wild-card spot.

This playoff berth comes after three straight 100-loss seasons. Not only was it the first time in franchise history to see such lows -- they'd never even had two 100-loss seasons in a row prior to this three-season death march -- but they set the modern MLB record with 121 losses in 2024. They chopped it down to 102 last season and now they'll be in the playoffs with a winning record. It's a remarkable turnaround for general manager Chris Getz, manager Will Venable and the players.

The White Sox last made the playoffs in 2021, when they were bounced by the Astros in the ALDS. They lost in the Wild Card Series in 2020. This will mark just their fourth playoff berth since the magical 2005 World Series championship run. In fact, they haven't won a playoff series since that season.

Should the White Sox win the AL Central, they'll get a bye to the ALDS and await the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 Wild Card Series. If they fail to secure the Central, they'll be the six seed and visit the AL West champion in the WCS.

Do they have staying power? Here are some reasons they could advance.

2026 MLB playoff picture: Standings, bracket, clinching scenarios, postseason projections as Padres stay hot Kate Feldman

1. The offensive firepower

There are ups and downs with this group and that's why instead of ranking at the very top, the White Sox are sixth in home runs, sixth in runs and 10th in the majors in OPS. Why are they so fickle? Because they are a low-average (25th), high-strikeout (fifth most), power-fueled outfit.

Power plays in the playoffs, though. We've been banging this drum for years, but the team with more home runs each game wins at a radically high clip. Having more power doesn't guarantee more home runs each game, of course, but it's nice to have that club in your bag. The White Sox have it.

Players like Chase Meidroth , Tristan Peters and Andrew Benintendi are capable of going deep. Randal Grichuk has 14 homers and is slugging over .600 in only 234 plate appearances since the White Sox picked him up in early May from the scrap heap.

There is, though, a Big Three here.

Colson Montgomery , Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami all have hit at least 30 home runs. This is now only the fourth White Sox team in history with at least three 30-homer guys. The others:

- 2004: Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee, José Valentín - 2006: Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye - 2008: Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin

The White Sox will have trouble putting together an imposing postseason rotation -- even if there are some possibilities that could work quite well -- but if the offense gets hot, they can overcome any early-inning woes. Along with help from ...

2. Strong back-end of bullpen

In the second half, the White Sox rank eighth in bullpen ERA in baseball and they have the chance at a very good formula in the playoffs, should things break right.

- Grant Taylor is the closest thing they have to a closer and his stuff is filthy. He has a 2.31 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 82 innings and has been one of the most valuable relievers in all of baseball by WAR. Putting him into a mid-inning fire isn't a bad thing, either, as he's stranded 20 of the 26 runners he's inherited. - Lefty Bryan Hudson has also been very valuable overall outside of the occasional meltdown. He had a streak of 11 straight scoreless outings snapped on Sept. 18. Of note: He's also been an opener. - Rookie Hagen Smith -- the fifth overall pick out of Arkansas in the 2024 Draft -- has some pretty sick stuff and sports a 1.32 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 27 ⅓ innings. Walks can hurt him, but he's only allowed a .107 batting average and one home run (it was to Pete Crow-Armstrong, so we can give him a pass here). - Look, we know the deal with Jordan Hicks by now. He's going to be inconsistent; maddeningly so at times. He also can bring some serious heat. If you need a strikeout, he could be leaned on. - Unfortunately, lefty Sean Newcomb has fallen apart this month (10.80 ERA in eight outings). Before that, he was excellent. There are a few more days left in the season to give Newcomb another outing or two to see if he can put things back together and gain some confidence heading toward the postseason.

There are more arms, of course, but it's possible Venable and the White Sox find the correct mix here after the sixth inning to shorten games for their lackluster playoff rotation.

3. Playing in a weak league with house money

The Rays are great. The Yankees have a good pitching staff and some good hitters, but might not have Aaron Judge at all. The Red Sox are good, but are they great? Eh. The Guardians aren't to be feared. Whoever comes out of the AL West isn't a deserving playoff team. There's no getting around the fact that the American League field this year is weak.

Not only that, but due to the format, the three AL East teams are going to eat each other .

For real. In the Wild Card Series, the Yankees and Red Sox are going to face each other and the winner gets the Rays in the ALDS.

Let's say the White Sox secure the AL Central title. That means they'd get the bye and would then get to wait on the winner between the road Guardians and home Astros or Rangers from the Wild Card Series.

It is entirely plausible that the White Sox would not even have to beat a team with a winning record in order to get to the ALCS. Say the Rangers win the AL West with 80 wins and then topple the Guardians at home. That isn't even far-fetched. You'd have to love the White Sox's chances in the ALDS then.

If the White Sox did indeed advance to the ALCS against a near-100-win Rays team or the Yankees or Red Sox, pretty much everyone would be expecting them to lose.

The White Sox weren't even supposed to be here anyway, right?

There's truly something to be said for a team with nothing to lose that has already advanced past the point where anyone believed they could get. There would be very little pressure and we'd see a team getting that "they're too young to realize what they're playing for!" nonsense label slapped on them.

I'm not convinced it is actually a thing that helps a team, but it sure doesn't hurt.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/white-sox-clinch-playoff-berth-world-series-contender/)._