CHICAGO -- Houston, you might have a problem.
Or maybe the Astros will be presenting the problem for the White Sox.
Either way, the American League Wild Card matchup has been set, with the South Siders traveling to Daikin Park for a first pitch of 4 p.m. CT Tuesday against the AL West champion Astros in this best-of-three competition. This series became official via the Rangers’ loss to the Twins, clinching the division for Houston. (The Astros won anyway, beating the A’s, 9-0, minutes later.)
The White Sox claimed a 4-2 victory over the Rockies in a game that meant little more than the finale of a surprisingly excellent 84-78 campaign for manager Will Venable’s crew. Now they can officially prepare for an Astros squad that took three out of four on the road against them from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, with the Astros also winning two out of three at Rate Field from July 24-26.
These two teams battled in the '21 AL Division Series, marking the last trip to the playoffs for the White Sox, with the Astros winning in four. Houston was managed by Dusty Baker and the White Sox were managed by Tony La Russa at the time. Of course, the White Sox would prefer to remember their 2005 World Series encounter, when they finished off a four-game sweep with two exciting victories.
With Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay having pitched this weekend against the Rockies, look for Erick Fedde to play a significant role in Tuesday’s Game 1. The White Sox also could go to an opener.
Sunday’s crowd of 29,767 gave the White Sox a final home attendance of 1,986,416, which is their highest attendance since 2022. That ‘22 season is the only one where the White Sox have surpassed 2 million fans since 2011.