Final Weekend of MLB: Cubs and White Sox in Playoffs

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The Major League Baseball season has reached its final weekend, and both the Cubs and White Sox have secured playoff spots. This marks only the fourth occasion in MLB history that both teams have made the postseason simultaneously, with previous occurrences in 1906, 2008, and 2020.

Cubs’ Season Recap

The Cubs finished second in the National League Central for the fourth year in a row, while the Milwaukee Brewers claimed their fourth consecutive division title.

Manager Craig Counsell celebrated with his team after clinching a playoff spot at Wrigley Field on September 24, 2026.

Regular Season Record: 89 wins, 73 losses.
Last Game: A 6-2 victory against the Red Sox in Tampa, Florida.
Wild Card: The Cubs secured the No. 5 seed in the National League, facing the No. 4 seed, the Padres, in a best-of-three wild-card series starting Tuesday in San Diego.
Previous Playoff Appearance: 2025, as the No. 4 seed in the National League. They defeated the Padres in the wild-card series before losing to the Brewers in the division series.
Postseason History: The Cubs have made 22 postseason appearances over 150 seasons, with eight division titles, four wild-card berths, 17 pennants, and three championships (1907, 1908, 2016).

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Milestone

Pete Crow-Armstrong joined an elite group as the seventh MLB player to achieve 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. He concluded the regular season with 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases. Previous players who achieved this milestone include:

José Canseco (Athletics, 1988): 42 home runs, 40 stolen bases
Barry Bonds (Giants, 1996): 42-40
Alex Rodriguez (Mariners, 1998): 42-46
Alfonso Soriano (Nationals, 2006): 46-41
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Braves, 2023): 41-73
Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers, 2024): 54-59

White Sox’ Turnaround

The White Sox narrowly missed achieving a worst-to-first turnaround after enduring more than 100 losses over each of the last three seasons. Manager and team celebrated their playoff berth in Kansas City on September 24, 2026.

Regular Season Record: 84 wins, 78 losses.
Last Game: A 4-2 win against the Rockies.
AL Central: The Guardians clinched the division, earning the No. 2 seed in the American League and a first-round bye.
Wild Card: The White Sox are locked into the AL’s No. 6 seed, facing the AL West-winning Houston Astros in a best-of-three wild-card series starting Tuesday.
Last Playoff Appearance: 2021, as AL Central champions and No. 3 seed in the American League. They lost to the Astros in the division series.
Postseason History: The White Sox have appeared in 11 postseasons over 125 seasons, claiming six division titles, one wild-card berth, six pennants, and three championships (1906, 1917, 2005).

Playoff Outlook

National League Wild-card Round:
No. 5 Cubs at No. 4 Padres
Location: Petco Park in San Diego
Game 1: Tuesday, 9 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, TBD, if necessary

No. 6 Phillies at No. 3 Braves
Location: Truist Park in Atlanta
Game 1: Tuesday, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, TBD, if necessary

American League Wild-card Round:
No. 6 White Sox at No. 3 Astros
Location: Daikin Park in Houston
Game 1: Tuesday, 4 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, TBD, if necessary

No. 5 Red Sox at No. 4 Yankees
Location: Yankee Stadium in New York
Game 1: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, TBD, if necessary

Both leagues’ No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have byes.
Division Series: October 3-10, best of five format
Championship Series: October 11-20, best of seven format
World Series: October 23-31, best of seven format