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Bagent in after Caleb Williams Injury? Cubs/Sox Playoff Pushes | Credential'd
FOX Chicago's Sam Panayotovich, Chris Kwiecinski and Joe Tidei welcome you to Credential'd, your all-access pass to Chicago sports. The Bears scored three points against the blitz-happy Minnesota Vikings defense and Ben Johnson gives a positive update on injured quarterback Caleb Williams. Plus, FOX Chicago Bears reporter Devan Kaney joins the show and the guys debate who goes further in the MLB Playoffs, the Cubs or White Sox?
They’re in.
In one of the most improbable developments, the Chicago White have a chance to win it all two years after setting the MLB record for losses in a single season.
The Southsiders will be playing in the 2026 MLB postseason.
How It Happened:
The White Sox needed two things to happen on Wednesday: The Rangers needed to lose, and the White Sox needed to beat Kansas City.
The Mets took care of their side of things. A Marcus Semien home run gave the New Yorkers a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. They'd hold on to win 7-2. This bumped the White Sox's magic number to clinch a playoff berth to just one.
The Sox could have clinched on Wednesday night had they beat the Royals, but couldn't stage a comeback down 5-4. They took their frustrations out on Kansas City the day after.
After going down 4-0 to start Wednesday's game, the White Sox burst out to a 6-0 lead through two innings on Thursday. Andrew Benintendi, Munetaka Murakami and Tristan Peters all drove in runs early on. Miguel Vargas drove in two.
Kyle Teel got in on the fun with a 424-homer that made it 7-1. Soon, the White Sox made it 9-1 in the seventh inning.
From there, the Chicago White Sox, coming off back-to-back 100 loss seasons, have clinched a spot in the 2026 MLB Playoffs. Time will tell if they can eventually clinch the AL Central Division crown, too.
The backstory:
This all feels like a pipe dream.
Two years ago, the White Sox stood at Rate Field as rock bottom approached. They officially became the worst team in baseball history with 121 losses. The franchise’s decision to sell and rebuild came with plenty of pain.
That pain has paid off. Two years later, they’re in the postseason.
It didn’t seem like the White Sox would be in any position to be a playoff team, let alone contend for the AL Central in April. The Sox had a 14-17 record entering the month of May.
Then, the team started to bloom. Young players gained a vault of confidence. Davis Martin and Sean Burke emerged as top-line starters. The White Sox finished May with an 18-10 record, which included a series win over the Cubs where Edgar Quero’s walk-off home run felt like a turning point for this squad.
After that, the White Sox never emerged to their full potential but kept playing winning baseball. They led the AL Central by 5.5 games at one point. Chase Meidroth, Tristan Peters, Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas all emerged as important players, while top prospect Braden Montgomery made an impact in his first season in the majors.
The White Sox even had three MLB All-Stars in Vargas, Peters and Murakami. Will Venable should be a finalist for AL Manager of the Year.
The young White Sox still had their growing pains, however. They lost that division lead to the Guardians entering the final week of the season. That serves as a tough reminder of how this team still has ways to go before it reaches its full potential.
The team can dwell on that later.
They have a postseason to prepare for.