The Cubs and White Sox could potentially make Chicago baseball history this week as the MLB playoff picture grows clearer.
Both the Cubs and White Sox will have opportunities to clinch playoff spots in coming days, and here’s what you need to know.
American League Central standings:
Cleveland Guardians 82-76
Chicago White Sox 81-77 (1 GB)
American League Wild Card:
New York Yankees 91-67
Boston Red Sox 85-73
Chicago White Sox 81-77
Texas Rangers 78-80 (3 GB)
National League Wild Card:
Chicago Cubs 87-70
San Diego Padres 87-70
Philadelphia Phillies 87-71
Arizona Diamondbacks 83-74 (4 GB)
What are the clinching scenarios for the Cubs and White Sox?
For the Cubs, they need to win at least one more game, or the Arizona Diamondbacks to lose one more game to clinch a playoff spot.
For the White Sox, the Rangers’ loss on Wednesday means that one more Chicago win or one more Texas loss will send the South Siders to the postseason.
Unfortunately the White Sox failed to take advantage of a Guardians loss on Wednesday, losing 5-4 to the Royals, so their clinching celebration will have to wait at least one more day.
How the Cubs and White Sox could make history
Assuming the Cubs and White Sox both make the playoffs, it would only be the fourth time in history that the two clubs have reached the postseason in the same year.
The teams faced off in the 1906 World Series, with the White Sox beating the Cubs in six games. It took 102 years for both teams to reach the playoffs in the same year again, but both clubs lost in the Division Series, with the Tampa Bay Rays taking out the White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers dispatching the Cubs.
Both teams made the postseason in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, with the White Sox losing to the Athletics and the Cubs losing to the Miami Marlins in best-of-three series.
What would the playoffs look like if the season ended today?
The Tampa Bay Rays have already locked up the top record in the American League, guaranteeing themselves a bye into the American League Division Series.
After play on Wednesday, the second seed in the American League currently belongs to the Cleveland Guardians, so they too would advance automatically to the Division Series.
The Houston Astros would host a best-of-three Wild Card Series in Texas, where they would face the White Sox. The winner of that series would take on the Guardians in the Division Series.
The other Wild Card Series in the American League would pit the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, with the winner facing the Rays.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers currently hold a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top seed, with both teams having secured byes into the Division Series.
The Atlanta Braves would host the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, and the winner would face the Dodgers. The Brewers would then get the winner of the other Wild Card Series, which would pit the Cubs against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.
