White Sox clinch playoff berth after 3 straight 100-loss seasons

The Chicago White Sox historic turnaround is complete.

The White Sox clinched a playoff spot Thursday thanks to their 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. They're the first team in baseball history to make the playoffs following three straight 100-loss seasons.

Chicago lost a modern-era-record 121 games in 2024 and went 60-102 last year.

While the downturn resulted in some ugly baseball over the last three years, it allowed general manager Chris Getz to rebuild the team from the ground up. The White Sox shocking revival has been led by plenty of homegrown talent, including former top prospects Braden Montgomery, Colson Montgomery, and Miguel Vargas, breakout All-Star rookie Tristan Peters, and right-hander Davis Martin. Outside additions - the most notable being star free-agent signing Munetaka Murakami - helped take the team over the top in 2026.

The South Siders still have a chance to win the AL Central and secure a bye to the ALDS. They held the division lead for much of the season but are now a half-game behind the Cleveland Guardians (pending the result of Cleveland's game in Boston later Thursday) and sit as the AL's No. 6 seed.

Chicago has only reached the playoffs three times since 2009 and hasn't won a playoff series since claiming the 2005 World Series.

The White Sox will wrap up their regular season at home with three games against the Colorado Rockies.

Their victory was part of a banner day for Chicago baseball that also saw the crosstown Cubs clinch their own spot in the NL playoffs. The occasion marks just the fourth time that both Chicago teams made the playoffs in the same season, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.