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Spiegs: "Cubs were embarrassing as hell" - Jesse: "This Sox series is over" | Chicago Sports Tonight
The Score’s Matt Spiegel and ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers recap the White Sox and Cubs’ results in their Game 1 matchups of the MLB Wild Card round. How can the Cubs rebound from what Spiegs says was an 'embarrassing performance?' Plus, can Sean Burke lock down the Astros offense and help the White Sox win their first playoff series since 2005? Jesse says 'this series is over.'
The White Sox keeps shocking the world.
They went from three straight 100 loss seasons to the playoffs. They've now won a playoff series. They even have the Pope in their corner, after Pope Leo XIV sent White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf a letter wishing them well before the playoffs.
"Imagine a Jewish kid from Brooklyn getting a letter from the Pope," Reisndorf told reporters after the White Sox won the Wild Card round 2-0 over Houston. "I’m going to convert."
Reinsdorf spoke to reporters after the White Sox's 7-3 win over the Astros that vaulted the Southsiders into the ALDS. He reveled in the success his team has earned.
It's an example of how the White Sox earned a shot at the ALCS.
What they're saying:
Reinsdorf found a way to believe.
Turn the clock back to the spring, when the White Sox were preparing for the 2026 season in February and March. The White Sox Chairman saw it then.
"Nobody thought that this club could win except the players," Reinsdorf said. "They thought they were going to win. Nobody believed them, but they did."
Reinsdorf told reporters he began to believe after the All-Star break. That's when the team also established itself as a challenger for the AL Central.
They might not have won the AL Central, but they proved they were talented. That talent shined through as the White Sox won their first playoff series since 2005. That was when they beat the Astros to win the World Series.
It won't be easy. They'll get Cleveland, who earned a bye and has enjoyed the rest that comes with it.
But, with the series win comes plenty of pride.
"I’m proud of the guys and certainly happy for them as they’re probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot," White Sox manager Will Venable said, according to the Associated Press. "And they maintained that belief in the beginning of the season and went throughout the season maintaining that, and they made it happen."
Dig deeper:
What meant the most, the White Sox thought about the ones who went through the most.
Second baseman Chase Meidroth had a thought about them. They're the White Sox fans.
"It means everything for our fans," Meidroth said, according to the Associated Press. "They have been incredible all year. So the main thing was getting back to Chicago for some postseason baseball, and so we’re really blessed that we get to do that."
The White Sox are guaranteed two home games at Rate Field in the ALDS. They'll travel to Cleveland for Games 1 and 2, but they'll bring playoff baseball to Chicago.
Win this series, and they'll advance to the American League Championship Series. Then, they'll have a chance to get more to believe around the world.
"It’s awesome to get to this point," Venable said, according to the Associated Press.