Cubs and White Sox Secure Playoff Spots in Historic Season

The Major League Baseball season has transitioned from a marathon to a sprint as September comes to a close. Both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox have secured postseason positions, marking only the fourth occurrence in MLB history that both teams have advanced to the playoffs in the same year. The previous instances were in 1906, 2008, and 2020.

Cubs’ Playoff Path

The Cubs are set to finish in second place in the National League Central division. This will be their fourth consecutive season finishing in this position, with the Milwaukee Brewers clinching the division title for the fourth time in a row.

Through Friday, the Cubs hold a record of 88-73. They were swept in a doubleheader by the Red Sox, losing 4-3 and 2-0. They have one remaining game against the Red Sox scheduled for Sunday in Tampa, Florida.

Currently, the Cubs trail the San Diego Padres by 1.5 games for the top wild card spot after the Padres lost 11-4 to the Diamondbacks. The Phillies are half a game behind the Cubs following their 2-0 defeat against the Rays. The Cubs have the advantage of owning tiebreakers over both the Padres and the Phillies.

The Cubs last appeared in the playoffs in 2025 as the No. 4 seed, where they defeated the Padres in the wild-card series before losing to the Brewers in the division series. In the Cubs’ 150 seasons, they have participated in the postseason 22 times, with eight division titles, four wild-card berths, 17 pennants, and three championships (1907, 1908, 2016).

Pete Crow-Armstrong Joins 40-40 Club

Pete Crow-Armstrong reached a milestone on Thursday by becoming the seventh player in MLB history to achieve 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season. He currently has 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases. Players who have reached this landmark before include José Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Shohei Ohtani.

White Sox Playoff Chase

The White Sox, holding a record of 83-77 through Friday, celebrated their playoff spot clinch after a 6-1 triumph over the Rockies. They have two more games remaining against the Rockies at Rate Field.

In the American League Central, the White Sox are trailing the first-place Cleveland Guardians by one game. If the teams end with identical records, the White Sox own the tiebreaker and will claim the division title, pushing the Guardians into the wild-card race.

The White Sox last entered the playoffs in 2021 as the AL Central champions and were the No. 3 seed. They lost to the Astros in the division series. Over their 125 seasons, the White Sox have made 11 postseason appearances, winning six division titles, one wild-card berth, six pennants, and securing three championships (1906, 1917, and 2005).

Playoff Format Overview

The playoff format begins with the wild-card round, held from Tuesday to Thursday as a best-of-three series, played entirely at the higher seed’s venue. The pairings will be the No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed, and No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed. The top two seeds receive byes.

The division series occurs from October 3 to October 10 in a best-of-five format, with games structured 2-2-1. The No. 1 seed will face the winner of the No. 4/5 game, and the No. 2 seed will play the winner of the No. 3/6 game.

The League Championship Series runs from October 11 to October 20, following a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format. This leads to the World Series, held from October 23 to October 31, also in a best-of-seven format.