Yeah, my Chicago White Sox did it. They won their first MLB Playoff series since the 2005 World Series vs. the Houston Astros against, well, you guessed it, THE ASTROS! Can’t say I expected that heading into the season, nor did anyone. According to Fangraphs, the Sox had a 1.2% chance to make the postseason on March 24th, when everyone sat at 0-0. Not only did they make the playoffs, they got to the AL Divisional series against the Cleveland Guardians, of which Fangraphs had them at a 0.5% chance to pull off when the season began. I’m amazed, I can’t really put it into words.

Let’s talk about how we (yes, WE) made the Divisional in the first place. The Sox are a really young team, built by Chris Getz and led by Will Venable, who have been Jekyll and Hyde all season. We’re either firing on all cylinders or, as September showed before the playoffs, REALLY cold—especially at the plate. Classic inconsistency from a young squad. Then, you run into a team with some young talent, definitely, but also with playoff experience…and this season’s consensus AL MVP if it were up to the fans, Yordan Alvarez. So, ok, you think, MAYBE we can pull this off, especially given their lack of frontline pitching, but will we? Game one, we take the lead in the first inning and never look back. The entirety of the White Sox fandom is ecstatic, but wary. We know what heartbreak feels like, and that includes fans of all ages. Our last rebuild, centered around Luis Robert Jr., Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, etc., was looking good just 5 years ago, and well, within 3 years of that we were the worst team of all time, quite literally. Furthermore, the boys are heading into Game 2 in Houston again, and taking two away from home isn’t easy, AND Houston’s saving grace on the mound, ace Hunter Brown, is pitching in this do or die for the ‘Stros. Sure, he’s dealt with injuries this year, limiting him to roughly 2/3 of his usual starts (20 this year and 31, 30, and 29 the three prior), but his era was still only 3.19 in the 2026 season. If you think that’s impressive, his 2025 season included a STELLAR 2.43 era and a 3rd place finish in the AL CY Young race. To reiterate, the man is an ACE. Going into Game 2 on Wednesday, I can speak for all of Chicago in saying that we were scared, which makes what happened next all the sweeter.

My Sox lead the game off at the plate, staring Hunter Brown and this Astros team down. Are the boys bringing out the brooms (SWEEP) or is the series headed back to Chicago with the entire city tense about a Game 3 at 35th and Shields? Personally, I think I’ve made it very clear: I was afraid of the latter, seeing who we were up against and how this young squad of ours played icy hot all season. I’m so, SO happy to say: BOY WAS I WRONG! The Sox JUMPED on the Astros 4-0 in the top of the first, forcing the home side to pull their ace after just 0.2 innings pitched and with 36 pitches thrown! I was taken aback in the best way possible, but still, very uptight. The Astros still had 27 outs to go. Then, our starter on the day, Sean Burke, the man who says he’s got no hobbies, no girl, just baseball, takes the mound, and immediately gives up a solo shot to center, courtesy of a hanging breaking ball over the middle of the plate to Jeremy Peña. He then settles himself, relying on his fastball, which the Astros hitters are clearly late on to begin the faceoff, albeit with hit or miss command of his arsenal. Altuve jumped on a fastball and slammed it against the left field wall, but Sam Antonacci matched that with great defense to limit the dangerous swing into a mere single.

It’s the second inning, and here come the frozen White Sox hitters! This is exactly why I had fear coursing through my veins until that final out was gotten. The Astros mow our hitters down 1-2-3 and then, after getting the first two outs and showing off an impressive knuckle curve, Burke gets taken 440 to center by Cam Smith. It’s 4-2 Sox, and if I wasn’t sweating before, I definitely was after that. Another inning, another 3 up and 3 down for the Sox, but Burke and the scoreboard catch a break with 3 straight strikeouts of his own in the bottom of the 3rd, so we’re ok. Steve Stone, Sox commentator and former AL CY Young award winner noted, before Burke actually did strike Yordan out a second time, that he wasn’t feeling his best considering he couldn’t locate the high fastball on a pitch to Yordan during his at bat in the third, which I thought was notable, given the state of affairs. Anyways, time to get on the board again, right? Well, um, NOPE, not for the Sox it wasn’t but for the Astros it sure was, who hit another solo shot, this time brought by Jose Altuve’s bat, who, with that homer, moved into second place all time in playoff multi-hit games with 37, just ahead of Bernie Williams and behind who else but Derek Jeter! I don’t HAVE to say it, because I’m stating the obvious, but what great company to be in, kudos to him on a historic achievement and career, regardless of what you think about the Astros scandal years ago. In the 5th inning, it was more of the same for the Sox with no baserunners, while the Astros continued to make my heart rate climb, this time into really dangerous territory. Men on 1st and 2nd with one out AND Yordan’s ahead of the count 3-0? I’m praying we only give up one run at this point, yet somehow, we get him out, and after walking Paredes to load the bases, THANKFULLY get out of a jam with an Altuve flyout to right to keep it 4-3 Sox. Anthony Kay, if I was a few years older, I would’ve landed in the hospital and racked up a million-dollar bill for that heart attack that half inning gave me. I mean this both sarcastically and sincerely: thank you.

It’s the top of the 6th inning now, and watching my team come up to the plate has been, well, to keep it clean, upsetting, to say the least. It felt like a barren desert for 4 innings, but we finally draw a walk (thank you Andrew Benintendi). Then, and here’s where the mayhem begins, we bring on Luisangel Acuña as his pinch runner, who immediately steals second. Tristan Peters then walks, and we’ve got something real brewing. Men on 1st and 2nd with no outs? Yeah, I’m starting to smirk, but then, after the ‘Stros bring in Bryan Abreu to stop the bleeding, we immediately pull off a DOUBLE STEAL and those beautiful men get to 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and no double play possible. Oh, Chase Meidroth, don’t think I forgot about YOU! Mr. Meidroth, Sox star 2nd baseman, comes up to bat, gets ahead 3-0 on Abreu, and, trying to imagine it from his perspective, sees exactly what he wants: a delicious breaking ball right over the plate, and BOMBBBBAAAAAAAAAA, A THREE RUN HOMER PIMPED! He knew it as soon as he made contact, and boy didn’t we all. The first hit for the Sox since the first inning (also by Meidroth) breaks the game wide open 7-3 in MY team’s favor! Back to a 4 run lead we go! If you couldn’t tell, I am NOT shy about my allegiances, but I WILL remain objective as to what happened during the game.

Yeah yeah yeah Bryan Abreu then got the next 3 batters out, but the damage was done. The Sox also bring in a fresh face of their own, Jordan Hicks, who retires the side in order to take it into the 7th. A pitching masterclass on both sides continues through the inning, with Abreu striking out the side (and 5 straight) and Hicks going 6 up, 6 down on his day. I will give Bryan Abreu this: he really got it together after that disastrous start, and gave up almost nothing after that, besides an 8th inning walk to Meidroth, who clearly had his number. Abreu pitched a personal record 2.2 innings, and, without the context behind the 3-run home run, only one of which was credited to him, it was quite a good performance for Abreu. It was smooth sailing from that Meidroth homer on, and we even nicked a couple singles off of Josh Hader, which was cool, but nothing really of note from a hitting perspective.

Here we are, the bottom of the 9th. Three outs to sweep the Astros, and 3 outs for them to extend their season another day. WE GO ONE, TWO OUT, FEDDE COMES IN FOR THE THIRD BATTER, WITH A SWEEEEEEEEET BREAKING BALL STRIKE THREE SWINGING, AND THE SOX GET THEIR FIRST PLAYOFF SERIES WIN IN TWENTY ONE AGONIZING YEARS! History has been made! Guys, I was two years old the last time the Sox won a series. This has more or less never happened for me, and it’s such a good feeling man, it’s so sweet taking it in. Coming into this season with a 1.2% chance to make it to this stage and our favorite team not only made it, but took it without a third game being necessary, there’s no good way to describe it besides WOW. As good as it feels, to quote Kobe Bryant, “job’s not finished” (yeah I know I’m talking like I’m actually playing for the team but I don’t care). An ALDS showdown against the Sox’s arch-rival, the Cleveland Guardians, is set to begin on Saturday, October 3rd (thanks Mets staffer for telling them to lower their pitch coms and making them dangerous again).