Chicago’s long climb back to October is complete. The White Sox clinched an American League wild-card berth Thursday, Sept. 24, with a 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, securing their first postseason appearance since 2021.
The scale of the reversal is hard to miss: three straight 100-loss seasons came before this one, including a 121-loss campaign in 2024. Chicago is the first MLB team to follow that stretch with a playoff berth. At 82-77 after Thursday’s win, the club also set a record for victories by a team coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
The clincher was built on early pressure and Kansas City mistakes. Chicago scored three times in the first inning, then added four more in the second as Royals starter Randy Dobnak struggled with his command and made two throwing errors. Kyle Teel homered and reached base five times; Miguel Vargas drove in multiple runs, and five White Sox contributed an RBI.
David Sandlin gave Chicago the steady start it needed, allowing one run and five hits over six innings. Salvador Perez supplied Kansas City’s lone run with a homer. The final margin made the clinch comfortable, but the bigger point was the season-long turnaround behind it.
There is still more at stake. The White Sox began Thursday one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, and the division remains within reach with three games left against Colorado. Chicago holds the season-series tiebreaker over Cleveland, so the wild-card celebration does not end the race for a division crown. A team that spent three seasons at the bottom now has a postseason place—and a chance to climb higher.