clickondetroit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chicago White Sox made history on Thursday by becoming the first Major League Baseball team to earn a playoff berth after three straight 100-loss seasons. Their 9-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium secured at least one of three American League wild-card spots, but the team chose to celebrate with a subdued handshake line on the field before taking the party to the clubhouse.
In the visiting locker room, plastic sheeting covered the walls as bottles of Mot champagne piled up. Players like Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami were soaked and smiling, savoring a postseason appearance that few predicted. "This means a lot for us," Vargas said. "We've been chasing this moment for a long time. It's special for us. It's special for the whole organization. This is a special group of guys, and this is the most fun we can have."
The White Sox are not done yet. They entered Thursday just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central race. While Chicago heads home for three games against the last-place Colorado Rockies, the Guardians will travel to Kansas City to finish their regular season. That may explain why the White Sox showed restraint in their celebration. "They know what this is about," manager Will Venable said. "This comes with the expectation that this was going to happen, which is really cool. They're definitely letting loose right now, we'll have a fun plane ride, but then back to business tomorrow."
It was a memorable day for the city of Chicago, as the Cubs also clinched an NL wild-card spot with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins. Both Chicago teams reached the postseason for the fourth time, following 1906, 2008, and 2020. The Cubs made it last year as well, while the White Sox were losing 102 games.
The White Sox's turnaround is remarkable given their recent history. Two years ago, they lost 121 games, a post-1900 record. No team had ever made the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons, let alone three. Even in mid-April, they started 6-13 and seemed destined for another losing year. But then their young hitters found their power, and the wins started piling up.
Murakami, who signed a two-year, $34 million deal in December after the White Sox paid a $6,575,000 posting fee to the Yakult Swallows, has 33 home runs and drove in his 74th run on Thursday. Vargas has received MVP buzz with 33 homers and 92 RBIs. Colson Montgomery, who tied Mark Reynolds' season record with 223 strikeouts on Thursday, has offset those whiffs with 31 homers and 87 RBIs. "Ws are all that matters," Montgomery said, champagne and beer dripping from his goggles. "You see this? This is all that matters. Whatever I can do to help the team, that's all I care about."
Chicago's trade of left-handed ace Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox in December 2024 also paid off. Three players acquired in that deal — Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, and Braden Montgomery — were in the lineup Thursday and played key roles in clinching the franchise's 12th postseason appearance. Teel homered, reached base five times, and scored three runs. Meidroth had two hits, extending his on-base streak to 15 games. And Montgomery, batting last, had a hit and scored during a three-run second inning that broke the game open. The White Sox led 6-0 after two innings and 8-0 after four.
Soon, plastic tarps went up in the visitors' clubhouse, setting the stage for an improbable party just 90 minutes away. "This is what the White Sox is," Murakami said. "We come together, and this is not the end. We're going to start from here."
Originally reported by clickondetroit.