White Sox clinch AL wild card in historic turnaround — SkimNews
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- White Sox clinched at least an AL wild-card spot with a 9-1 rout of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, becoming the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason after losing 121 games just two seasons ago — a post-1900 record and 324 total losses over the prior three years.
- The club started the year as 16-1 long shots on DraftKings to make the playoffs (tied for second-longest odds behind Colorado at 35-1) and opened 6-13 before their young core flipped the script.
- Munetaka Murakami (2-year, $34M deal via posting from Tokyo Yakult Swallows) delivered 33 HR and 74 RBI, Miguel Vargas added 33 HR and 92 RBI while drawing MVP buzz, and Colson Montgomery hit 31 HR with 87 RBI despite tying Mark Reynolds' season record of 223 strikeouts.
- The December 2024 trade of Garrett Crochet to Boston paid off in the clinching game — Kyle Teel homered and reached base five times, Chase Meidroth extended his on-base streak to 15 games, and Braden Montgomery contributed during a three-run second inning that broke it open.
- Both Chicago teams clinched postseason berths on the same day for the first time ever (the fourth time both franchises made the playoffs, after 1906, 2008 and 2020), with the Cubs securing an NL wild card via a 2-1 win over the Marlins.
- Manager Will Venable kept the celebration in the plastic-draped visitors clubhouse restrained because Chicago entered the day one game back of Cleveland in the AL Central and still has a shot at a division title.
Why it matters: The White Sox went from a post-1900 record 121 losses to playoff contention in two years, validating the December 2024 Garrett Crochet trade that returned Teel, Meidroth and Braden Montgomery — all of whom delivered in the clinching win. Entering the day one game behind Cleveland with three games left, Chicago still has a shot at the AL Central title to cap a turnaround no MLB team had previously pulled off.
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