White Sox retake 1st place in AL Central -- but the race is just starting

CLEVELAND -- During a recent television broadcast outside of Chicago, right-hander Davis Martin heard about one of the announcers still trying to figure out where the White Sox are in terms of their 2026 success.

“That’s fine. That’s where we are at,” a smiling Martin told MLB.com. “We are going to play for ourselves and we don’t really listen to the outside noise.”

With 73 games remaining, here’s where the White Sox reside.

They lead the American League Central by one game after defeating the Guardians, 7-6, on Sunday. The series finale victory gave the White Sox a split in this four-game set, winning the last two and navigating a rain delay of 1 hour and 27 minutes, which included an hour to get the Progressive Field warning track into playable shape.

The White Sox arguably are the biggest surprise in baseball, coming off three straight seasons with 100-plus losses. But what has been said and written countless times over the past couple of months is worth repeating: An important series one week before the All-Star break certainly matters but isn’t the South Siders’ endpoint.

“This whole series has felt like a playoff series,” said shortstop Colson Montgomery, who homered for a second straight game. “But then I look at the calendar and we are not even past the All-Star break yet. It’s a good learning experience for down the road.”

“To be honest, there are a lot of things we still want to prove to a lot of people,” Martin said. “We will keep doing our job and keep playing and having fun enjoying each other. It’s gotten us this far and it’s going to continue to carry us.”

Kyle Teel got the White Sox going in the first inning with a two-run blast to left off Tanner Bibee. The catcher has hit in eight of his 11 games since making his season debut on June 22, returning from a right hamstring strain suffered while playing for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic and a right knee issue encountered during his rehab assignment.

Teel’s presence lengthens an already potent White Sox lineup. First baseman Munetaka Murakami embarks on a brief injury rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Charlotte to test a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, which has kept him out of action for over five weeks.

If Murakami returns for a weekend home set against the A’s, it will be the first time this season the White Sox have their full lineup. Cleveland should find itself in the same place when the two teams meet again in Chicago on Aug. 7-9, with José Ramírez and Angel Martínez on their way back from injury.

It’s difficult to imagine more competitive games than the first seven between these two, with all seven decided by two runs or fewer.

“Every team does certain things better than others. We do a really good job of scoring a lot of runs and playing good defense,” Martin said. “Cleveland is built around pitching, playing in close games and constantly putting pressure on the other team to be perfect.

“I think it’s just a great marker for us to see where we are at in that aspect. It’s a great learning tool for us to be able to say, 'This is what a playoff series looks like.' You are not going to go boatrace everybody in a playoff series. It would be nice if you could. The reality is that we have to learn how to win these close games. We do a really good job at home, and on the road we need to do a little bit better job.”

Cleveland's first two wins in this series were of the walk-off variety, leading to some teeth gnashing and consternation among the White Sox fan base. But this is life in a playoff race, a far better existence than the last three years for the White Sox. It’s where they want to be … for now.

“We are in a good spot. It’s exciting and it just shows the kind of growth we are at,” Martin said. “It doesn’t matter if we are playing bad. We still find a way to find ourselves in every game.

“It’s a great time. We love winning. We do a good job celebrating each other’s successes. We are having fun being ourselves and enjoying it.”