A long-awaited clubhouse celebration beckoned for the Chicago White Sox on Thursday after they clinched an American League playoff berth for the first time since 2021.
“I think we’re going to enjoy this one,” outfielder/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi said. “We know we still have some work to do, but we deserve tonight.”
After enduring three consecutive 100-loss seasons, the White Sox still can bolster their postseason standing when they host the slumping Colorado Rockies for three games beginning Friday night.
Chicago (82-77) trails the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians by one game entering the final weekend of the regular season and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. If Cleveland, which will close the season with three road games against the Kansas City Royals, wins the division, the White Sox will play in the wild-card round next week.
However the division shakes out, the White Sox will aim to channel the same work ethic that has spurred their turnaround.
“This team never gives up,” third baseman Miguel Vargas said. “We’re going to play every day, nine innings, and we’re going to battle; that’s our identity. And hopefully, we keep working like that.”
Chicago is the first team in major league history to make the playoffs after having back-to-back 100-loss seasons, let alone three in a row.
It was a 9-1 road rout of the Royals on Thursday that clinched the postseason berth for the White Sox. Vargas had two hits and two RBIs while Sam Antonacci, Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel joined him with two-hit efforts.
Now the White Sox hope the Royals can recover from a series loss and play spoiler by beating the Guardians.
Colorado (57-102) lugs the worst record in baseball to Chicago. This week, the Rockies became the fifth club in major league history — and first since the 1962-65 New York Mets — to lose 100 games in four consecutive seasons.
The Rockies have lost 16 of 19 games — including four in a row — since winning two of three against the Baltimore Orioles from Aug. 31-Sept. 2, Colorado’s most recent series victory.
Arizona defeated the host Rockies 12-8 on Thursday, powered by Gabriel Moreno’s three-run home run three batters into the game. The long ball spurred the Diamondbacks to a 10-1 lead after four innings.
Rookie center fielder Cole Carrigg went 4-for-5 with a three-run home run as Colorado attempted to rally from an early deficit and salvage one game of the three-game series.
“This whole year, I’ve felt like we’ve never been out of it,” catcher Hunter Goodman said. “We keep going, keep fighting, and I think it’s props to this team. Even through a rough season, we just keep putting together good at-bats.”
Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (12-11, 5.36 ERA) is slated to start for Colorado. He has lost six of his past seven starts and took a no-decision in his lone quality start over that span.
Sunday’s home loss to Seattle marked one of his more effective outings, as Sugano permitted one run and one hit in five innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He was charged with the loss in a 2-1 game.
Brett Sullivan, the Rockies’ other catcher, said Sugano “did an amazing job. He knew what he wanted to do before the game. He wanted to land off-speed early, and when he did that and got ahead, it opened up everything for him.”
Right-hander Sean Burke (10-7, 3.40 ERA) will start for Chicago on Friday. Burke has won three of his four September starts and defeated visiting Detroit 3-1 on Saturday behind six innings of one-run, five-hit ball with three walks and five strikeouts.
Neither Sugano nor Burke has faced the Friday opponent.
The White Sox anticipate a strong reception from fans as they return home after the short trip to Kansas City.
“It’s awesome, because these guys believed that this moment was going to come for them in spring training,” Chicago manager Will Venable said, “and that’s cool to see guys have a belief in themselves, belief in the group and then go out and put the work in and execute.”
–Field Level Media
