The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros in a two-game Wild Card Series, winning 7-3 on Wednesday at Daikin Park to advance to the American League Division Series (ALDS). This marks their first playoff series victory since 2005 and ends a run of three consecutive seasons with 100 or more losses.
Chicago had already beaten Houston 6-3 on Tuesday to take the series. Their upcoming ALDS opponent will be Cleveland. The White Sox’s last postseason series win came in a sweep over Houston during their 2005 World Series championship run. That postseason ended with an 11-1 record for Chicago and included Scott Podsednik’s memorable two playoff home runs, despite not hitting any in the regular season.
This year’s sweep reconnects the White Sox with the Astros in two very different contexts. Houston eliminated Chicago in the 2021 ALDS after the White Sox won 93 games and the AL Central that year. In contrast, the current White Sox squad overcame Houston in Houston’s home ballpark despite Chicago having a better regular-season record of 84-78 compared to Houston’s 81-81.
The journey from three straight 100-loss seasons to this playoff celebration has been steep. The White Sox lost 121 games in 2024, setting a modern-era MLB record for losses in a season. During that season, they also endured a 21-game losing streak, tying an American League record set by the 1988 Orioles. The streak ended with a 5-1 win over Oakland on August 6, highlighted by Andrew Benintendi’s two-run homer. Benintendi also contributed an RBI single in Chicago’s four-run first inning in Wednesday’s clinching game.
In 2023, the White Sox finished 61-101, a 20-win drop from 2022’s 81-81 record, which itself was a disappointment following the 2021 division title. Manager Will Venable’s first season in 2025 saw a 60-102 record, improving by 19 wins but still within the 100-loss range. Combined, the three seasons from 2023 to 2025 tallied 162 wins against 324 losses over 486 games.
The turnaround accelerated in 2026 with 84 wins, a 24-game improvement over the previous year. Chicago also posted a positive run differential of +56, scoring 776 runs while allowing 720.
An important moment for this postseason breakthrough came in December 2024 when the White Sox traded Garrett Crochet to Boston. The return included prospects Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman González. These players played significant roles in the Wild Card Series. Teel drove in Chicago’s first run Wednesday, Meidroth hit a three-run homer that extended the lead after Houston narrowed it to 4-3, and Montgomery had a multi-hit game in Tuesday’s opener.
The sweep is also notable because, despite Houston’s .500 regular-season record, the Astros hosted the Wild Card Series due to winning the AL West, while the White Sox entered as a wild-card team.
Colson Montgomery added to Chicago’s October moments with a home run on September 29, helping the White Sox build momentum heading into the postseason.
Chicago’s victory Wednesday ended a long stretch of frustration and losses, returning the team to meaningful October baseball for the first time in nearly two decades. Their next challenge is set against Cleveland in the ALDS.
According to Yahoo Sports.
