HOUSTON -- Two celebrations down, three more to go?
The White Sox clinched an American League playoff spot with a 9-1 victory over the Royals on Sept. 24, then cruised past the Astros in a two-game sweep in the AL Wild Card Series, finishing with a 7-3 victory Wednesday.
These celebrations wiped away four years of bad baseball, including two seasons in 2022 and 2023 when they were AL Central favorites going into the campaign but finished well short of their goals. The ensuing two years of rebuilding weren’t any picnic either – quite the contrary, with at least 100 losses in both.
Now, the White Sox are one series win over Cleveland away from the AL Championship Series. Here’s a look at some questions surrounding the South Siders.
Who makes the ALDS roster?
C: Kyle Teel, Jake Rogers
1B: Munetaka Murakami
2B: Chase Meidroth
SS: Colson Montgomery
3B: Miguel Vargas
LF: Sam Antonacci
CF: Tristan Peters
RF: Braden Montgomery
DH: Andrew Benintendi, Randal Grichuk
Reserves: Luisangel Acuña, Tommy Pham, Brenton Doyle
Starting rotation: Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Erick Fedde, Anthony Kay
Bullpen: Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson, Sean Newcomb, Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, Jordan Hicks, Huascar Brazobán, David Sandlin
The White Sox will announce their roster for the Division Series sometime before Saturday’s first pitch.
Even with just the Wild Card victory, is this season a success?
Absolutely. General manager Chris Getz spoke of taking “meaningful steps forward” before the 2026 campaign began, and nothing is more meaningful than reaching the playoffs. But with the Rays and Yankees on the other side of the bracket, the White Sox have a solid chance to push their way into the ALCS and see what happens.
Player to watch
The obvious choices are Murakami, Vargas and Colson Montgomery, who each topped 30 home runs. But don’t overlook Grichuk, who has been as big a pickup for the White Sox as any in recent memory.
Will Pope Leo XIV attend any playoff games?
Many White Sox fans ask this question, and it's a valid one, considering Robert Prevost attended two World Series games during the South Siders’ dominant 11-1 postseason run in '05. His responsibilities have grown exponentially since then, but it’s a safe guess the White Sox would be happy to have the Dolton, Ill., native at Rate Field for any games.
Pope Leo sent a letter from the Vatican to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, which arrived at the ballpark Tuesday. It thanked him for the Pope Hat celebration at Rate Field on Aug. 11 and for sending him one of the giveaways, while wishing him well for the future.