For the first time, the White Sox and the Cubs clinched playoff berths on the same day, according to ESPN Research. It happened Thursday, with the White Sox beating the Royals in Kansas City and the Cubs beating the Marlins at Wrigley Field, where Pete Crow-Armstrong stole his way into the 40-40 club in the first inning.
It is only the fourth year both Chicago teams have reached the postseason together, according to ESPN/AP, after the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 2008 and 1906.
White Sox clinch a wild-card spot
The White Sox beat the Royals 9-1 at Kauffman Stadium, clinching no worse than one of the three American League wild-card spots, per ESPN/AP. The division is not decided: Chicago began the day one game behind Cleveland, and ESPN’s standings after the White Sox game had Cleveland at 82-76 and the White Sox at 82-77, half a game back, with Cleveland still to play that night in Boston. The White Sox have three games left at home against Colorado; Cleveland has three at Kansas City.
The Associated Press report carried by ESPN called the White Sox “the first team to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons by reaching the playoffs,” and said their 82-77 mark is “a record number of wins for a club coming off three straight 100-loss years.” According to MLB’s official standings, the White Sox went 61-101 in 2023, 41-121 in 2024 and 60-102 in 2025. It is the White Sox’s first playoff appearance since 2021, per ESPN/AP and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Kyle Teel homered 424 feet in the fourth inning and reached base five times, according to ESPN/AP. David Sandlin improved to 3-2, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts over six innings. Royals starter Randy Dobnak, now 3-5, was pulled after 1.1 innings and six runs, four earned, and made two errors himself. Salvador Perez homered for his 20th of the season, the 10th time he has reached 20 homers in a year, a club record, per ESPN/AP. Five different White Sox drove in runs. The win mathematically eliminated Baltimore from playoff contention. Colson Montgomery struck out for the 223rd time this season, tying the major-league season record set by Arizona’s Mark Reynolds in 2009, per ESPN/AP.
“Obviously we want to win the division,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi told the Chicago Sun-Times. Pitcher Davis Martin, quoted by the Sun-Times, put the day in simpler terms: “But it means the world today.”
Cubs clinch, and Crow-Armstrong joins the 40-40 club
At Wrigley Field, the Cubs beat the Marlins 2-1 to clinch one of the National League’s three wild-card berths, their second straight postseason trip and their first consecutive appearances since 2015-2018, according to ESPN/AP. Chicago’s record stands at 88-71. The Cubs clinched their berth shortly after the White Sox earned their postseason trip, according to ESPN/AP.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, 24, drew a leadoff walk from Tyler Phillips in the first inning and stole second on the very next pitch — his 40th stolen base in 47 attempts, to go with his major-league-leading 45 home runs. ESPN/AP reported he became the seventh player in major-league history to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season, joining Jose Canseco (1988 Athletics), Barry Bonds (1996 Giants), Alex Rodriguez (1998 Mariners), Alfonso Soriano (2006 Nationals), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023 Braves, 41 homers and 73 steals) and Shohei Ohtani (2024 Dodgers, 54 and 59).
Seiya Suzuki homered 408 feet in the fifth inning, his 26th of the season. Ian Happ tripled to open the sixth and scored the go-ahead run on a single by Nico Hoerner, breaking a 1-1 tie. Matthew Boyd, now 10-5, threw seven innings and allowed one run on five hits. Ryan Zeferjahn worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save. Jakob Marsee had an RBI single for Miami in the third; Jack Ralston took the loss, falling to 0-2, as the Marlins dropped to 78-81.
What’s next
The AL Central race is still open with days left in the regular season, and both Chicago teams now turn to their seeding. As the bracket stood Thursday night, per ESPN’s playoff picture, the White Sox would face the Astros in the AL wild-card round and the Cubs would face the Padres in the NL wild-card round — both matchups are still subject to change before the regular season ends.
The White Sox close the regular season with three games at home against Colorado, while Cleveland plays three at Kansas City, leaving the division outcome unresolved. The Wild Card Series begin Tuesday, Sept. 29, according to MLB’s schedule.