CHICAGO -- The stage is set for the White Sox. The job is at hand. It’s all there for the taking.
Use any cliché available and the translation remains the same for the South Siders: There is one week remaining, six games, to be exact, to complete this improbable but now expected run to the postseason.
Following Monday’s off-day, the White Sox take their 80-76 record to Kansas City before returning home for three games against the Rockies. Those two teams have a combined ledger of 124-188 with a 5-15 stretch over each of their last 10.
Cleveland, holding a one-game lead in the American League Central over the White Sox, travels to Boston for three and finishes at the Royals. The Red Sox have all but locked up the second AL Wild Card and No. 5 seed for the playoffs. The White Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians via a 7-6 season-series edge.
Houston, which sits three behind the White Sox for the third AL Wild Card and sixth seed following a sweep by the Braves at Daikin Park, plays two at the Mariners and four at the Athletics. Toronto, featuring the same 77-79 record as the Astros, finishes with three at Baltimore and three at home against the Reds. The Astros have the tiebreaker over the White Sox, but the White Sox earned the head-to-head nod over the Blue Jays.
Let’s throw in Texas, who leads the AL West with a 78-78 record. The Rangers host the Mets and conclude at the Twins, with the White Sox once again having the tiebreaker.
Putting forth this postseason breakdown leads to an important question: Even if the White Sox somehow fall short of the playoffs during this final week, is the 2026 season still considered a success? Manager Will Venable provided his take on the season during an extended conversation with MLB.com before the Detroit series.
“It’s been great. It has been an awesome summer,” Venable said. “There have been so many things that we have enjoyed this summer. To see the fans come out and respond to our group, to see our group of players continue to grow, get better, deal with adversity, and learn from mistakes just across the board. We would all agree that this has been a special summer.
“Just think of the moments we’ve seen in this ballpark specifically. It’s been awesome. Whatever our record is, whatever it is in the end, there’s going to be 29 teams that are disappointed in the way their season ends. That is real for everybody. But the results of these next [six] games is not going to define our season. To me, this has been an outstanding season.”
Three straight 100-plus-loss seasons preceded this campaign, including a Modern Era single-season record of 121 defeats as recently as 2024. They would become the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the two previous seasons and the first to win their division following a 100-loss season.
So, the 80 victories equal major success. Then again, the team has been atop the AL Central for 82 days (96 when factoring in off-days) and every day from July 4 to Sept. 16. The in-season bar, even for a young and surprising team, definitely has been raised.
“Expectations should be elevated. We’ve earned that. We’ve created that,” Venable said. “We know that we have a good team. We know we are in a spot here where we have to go out and continue to play our game. I would understand disappointment because of the expectations our club has created.”
Making the playoffs becomes house money for the White Sox, who are deemed ahead of schedule on their rebuild. But with the AL’s strength considered down beyond the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox, the thought of anybody who gets in has a chance resonates more than ever.
“Once you get in, you never know,” Venable said. “Just having been through it as a player when I wasn’t able to advance in the playoffs and was just in one round, and then as a coach, win a couple of rounds and obviously being able to see it in Texas go all the way through -- when you have a special group of players and get in and your bullpen catches a heater and some guys hit a couple of homers, you got a real shot. Everyone has a chance when you get in.”
“This is why we play. This is what every kid dreams of,” All-Star center fielder Tristan Peters said. “A pennant race, and what a great team to do it with. It’s an exciting time, honestly.”