November 13, 2026
November 13, 2026
From 121 Losses to October: The Chicago White Sox in 2026
The White Sox’ 2026 season changed the story of a franchise that had become a punchline. Two years after a modern-era record 121 losses, Chicago went 84-78 and made the postseason. The club swept the Houston Astros and took the Cleveland Guardians to a fifth and final game in the Division Series.
The South Side had endured three straight 100-loss seasons, including a 60-102 finish in 2025. General manager Chris Getz and manager Will Venable entered 2026 still chasing proof that the rebuild was working. Outside expectations stayed modest, and Opening Day did nothing to change that.
Chicago opened on March 26 in Milwaukee and was buried 14-2 by the Brewers. A young core built around Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth and catcher Kyle Teel needed something louder to announce itself.
That noise came from Japan. Getz had signed slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million contract in December 2025, and the investment paid off immediately. Murakami homered in each of his first three games, the first White Sox player and only the fourth in MLB history to do it.
He kept launching. Murakami hit 14 home runs before his first double, a record to open a career. He was named American League Rookie of the Month for May and gave a punchless lineup a genuine centerpiece.
The season turned in May. Chicago seized an 18-10 month, including a 15-2 rout of Minnesota, and climbed out of an early 14-17 hole. Then came a scare that threatened to unravel everything.
On May 29 against Detroit, Murakami grabbed the back of his right thigh after beating a throw to first. Imaging revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain and a projected four to six weeks out. He was tied for the AL lead with 20 home runs. Yet the next day Chicago stood 30-27, three games over .500 for the first time since September 2022.
The lineup refused to sag in his absence. Vargas grew into an everyday force at third base, and by summer the Sox had clawed into first place in the AL Central. A 22-1 demolition of Kansas City on June 26 showed how dangerous the offense could be.
The breakthrough earned national recognition in July. Vargas was voted onto the American League All-Star team by his peers. Murakami was added as an injury replacement on the same day he came off the injured list, and center fielder Tristan Peters joined them a day later.
Getz then pushed his chips forward at the trade deadline. Chicago acquired right-hander Luis Castillo from Seattle and two-time Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle. The price included Jacob Gonzalez, the club’s top pick in the 2023 draft, who went to Pittsburgh. A rebuilding team had become a buyer.
The AL Central race became a September duel, and Chicago blinked first. The White Sox had held the top spot through much of the summer. In mid-September, Cleveland took a rubber game from Chicago and moved into first place for the first time since July.
The Guardians never let go. They clinched a third straight division crown on September 27 and finished one game ahead of the Sox at 85-77.
The division slipped away, but October did not. On September 24 at Kauffman Stadium, Chicago routed the Royals 9-1 to clinch a playoff berth. It sent the franchise to October for the first time since 2021.
The history stood out as much as the score. According to MLB.com, Chicago became the first team ever to reach the playoffs directly after consecutive 100-loss seasons. Only Andrew Benintendi and Vargas remained from the end of the 2024 roster.
Chicago traveled to Houston as the sixth seed and took control at once. The Sox won Game 1 by a 6-3 score behind Colson Montgomery and Sam Antonacci, earning the franchise’s first playoff win in five years.
Game 2 delivered the signature swing of the White Sox’ 2026 season. Chicago scored four runs in the first inning and chased Astros starter Hunter Brown after just two outs. Houston answered with three solo homers off Sean Burke and crept within reach. Then in the sixth, Meidroth turned on a 3-1 slider from Bryan Abreu.
The ball cleared the fence for a three-run homer. The Chicago Sun-Times called it the biggest Sox homer since Jim Thome’s 2008 tiebreaker blast. Jordan Hicks struck out three in two perfect innings, and Erick Fedde finished the 7-3 clincher. The sweep, recorded at Baseball Reference, was Chicago’s first postseason series win since 2005.
The Division Series offered a rematch with the rival that had taken the Central. Chicago struck first and struck hard. In Game 1 at Progressive Field, Hagen Smith retired the first eight batters he faced. Murakami followed in the fourth with a two-run homer off Tanner Bibee, measured at 112 mph.
Grant Taylor slammed the door with four innings for the save, the first such postseason save since 2017. Five Sox pitchers combined on a 3-0 three-hitter with 12 strikeouts. It was the franchise’s first postseason shutout since the 2005 World Series.
Game 2 tested their nerve. Cleveland scored twice in the first, and the Sox trailed into the sixth. With two outs, rookie Braden Montgomery lined a two-run double off Erik Sabrowski to seize a 4-3 lead. Burke covered 5 1/3 innings in relief. Doyle then hauled in Patrick Bailey’s drive at the wall to end it.
One win from the ALCS, Chicago stalled. Cleveland dominated Game 3 and took Game 4 at Rate Field to force a decisive fifth game.
Game 5 on October 10 became a test of survival. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer off Burke in the fourth. Gavin Williams struck out 12 and held Chicago hitless until Teel’s two-out single in the sixth. The Sox then loaded the bases with two outs. Sabrowski entered and struck out Murakami, and the threat died there.
Chicago lost 2-0, and its season ended in Cleveland. The Sox struck out 75 times across the five games, a Division Series record.
The White Sox’ 2026 season reset what the South Side believes is possible. The 24-win improvement was built on patience and power. Chicago led the American League with 776 runs and 589 walks while ranking third with 211 home runs.
Murakami finished with 35 homers in his debut season. Vargas added 33 home runs and 101 walks, and Colson Montgomery hit 31. Meidroth batted .276 and scored 90 runs. Burke anchored a patchwork staff with a 3.34 ERA and 185 strikeouts over 172 1/3 innings.
Venable deserves heavy credit for how he managed that staff. He leaned on openers and used a major league-leading 11 bullpen games, and the approach won October games. He kept a young clubhouse steady through a September collapse in the division race.
The strikeouts against Cleveland exposed what remains unfinished. Yet a franchise that lost 121 games two years earlier came within one win of the ALCS. That climb defined the season, and it gave a long-suffering fanbase something it had not felt in years: real belief in what comes next.
7th February, 2017
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November 12th, 2026 2
November 12th, 2026 2
