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Home Stretch – Latest on the Cubs & White Sox | Chicago Sports Tonight
Sam Panayotovich and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers chat the latest on the Cubs and White Sox as the teams head toward the home stretch of the MLB season. Can the White Sox rebound and recapture 1st place in the AL Central? Also, who does Jesse trust more the Cubs or White Sox? Plus, PCA continues to set records and will he win the MVP?
The race for the 2026 MLB Postseason is almost over. The regular season ends next week.
Here's where the playoff pictures currently stand for the White Sox and the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs
Magic Number: 1
Clinching Scenario:
The Cubs have an easy road to the postseason. Quite simply, the Cubs will clinch a playoff berth if they win at home against the Marlins on Tuesday.
After winning 9-1 against the Reds on Sunday, the Cubs needed the Diamondbacks to lose in order to clinch their postseason ticket by Sunday night. Arizona rallied to beat the Yankees in Phoenix.
Still, win and the Cubs are in.
Or, they can let Arizona help decide. If the Diamondbacks lose just one game, the Cubs will also clinch a spot in the postseason. The Diamondbacks play the Rockies on the road for three games. Arizona will also play the San Diego Padres in their final series of the year.
The Cubs are leading for the top Wild Card spot. They're tied in the standings with San Diego, but the Cubs own the tiebreaker over the Padres. Philadelphia is also one game behind both the Cubs and Padres.
The Cubs host the Marlins this week before finishing the season with a three-game stand in Boston. They control their own destiny at this point.
Chicago White Sox
Magic number: 4
Clinching Scenario:
The White Sox could earn a playoff berth by Wednesday, if they get a little help.
After taking two out of three against the Tigers, the White Sox have a three-game series against the Royals coming up. The Royals are dead last in the AL Central, and have been eliminated from playoff contention for some time now.
The easiest way for the White Sox to clinch a playoff spot is by winning four of their next six games. Their final two series of the season are against the Royals and Rockies. The Sox could very well sweep those two series if everything goes their way.
Entering Monday, the White Sox have a three-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for the final AL postseason spot. That could change in the coming days if the AL West keeps changing around and the Rangers catch the Astros for the AL West Division lead.
But, the White Sox can also clinch the AL Central before the season ends.
The Guardians have a one-game lead, but they play their final six games will all be on the road against the Red Sox and the Royals. The Red Sox just clinched their Wild Card berth this past weekend.
Wild Card Round Format
Teams that clinch MLB Wild Card berths will play from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. These Wild Card series will be a best of three. The higher seed will host all games of the series.
- No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
- No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
The Source: Information on the MLB playoff race is from MLB.com.