Two years ago the Chicago White Sox lost 121 games, the most in modern major league history. They went 41-121. It was not close to competitive baseball.
They are 80-76 and one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central with six games left.
The Standings
The Guardians are 81-75 and have won five straight. The White Sox are 80-76 and have won two in a row. Minnesota and Detroit sit eight back at 73-83, and Kansas City is 14 out.
Cleveland’s magic number to win the division is six. Chicago’s elimination number in the Central is also six.
Here is the part that keeps the White Sox alive regardless: they currently hold the third and final AL wild card, which means the division race is upside rather than survival.
Sunday Kept It Tight
Cleveland beat the Athletics 1-0 at Progressive Field after a two-hour rain delay. Gavin Williams threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts for his 14th win, dropping his ERA to 3.63. Jo Adell drove in the only run with a single, and Cade Smith recorded his 39th save.
Chicago did not need to be efficient. The White Sox beat Detroit 8-1 at Rate Field, with Huascar Brazoban getting the win.
The Tiebreaker Belongs to Chicago
This matters more than the one-game gap suggests. The White Sox won the season series and hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland, and the two teams do not play each other again.
Chicago led the AL Central for 74 consecutive days before dropping a three-game series to Cleveland from Sept. 15 to 17, falling out of first for the first time in nearly two and a half months.
So the White Sox need to make up one game across six against Kansas City and Colorado while Cleveland plays Boston and Kansas City. Per Tankathon figures cited earlier this month, Chicago’s remaining strength of schedule sits at .440 and Cleveland’s at .466, both in the bottom fifth of baseball.
How Chicago Got Here
The trajectory is absurd. They went 61-101 in 2023, 41-121 in 2024, 60-102 in 2025, and now 80-76.
They are attempting to become the first team ever to win a division title after back-to-back seasons of 100-plus losses, a claim being reported widely in coverage of this race.
Miguel Vargas is the engine, hitting 33 home runs with 88 RBI, 20 steals and an .844 OPS. Munetaka Murakami has added 32 homers with a .809 OPS, and Colson Montgomery has 31 homers and 87 RBI. Sean Burke leads the staff with 10 wins, a 3.40 ERA and 178 strikeouts. Will Venable is the manager.
Cleveland Is Not Backing In
The Guardians have real talent. Chase DeLauter is hitting .291 with an .821 OPS. Jose Ramirez leads the team with 35 steals. Parker Messick has a 2.57 ERA with 186 strikeouts and is a Rookie of the Year candidate, and Gavin Williams has 244 strikeouts. Stephen Vogt has them on a five-game run at exactly the right time.
Why This Is the Best Race in Baseball
One game. Six to play. No head-to-head games left. The trailing team holds the tiebreaker.
That means Cleveland cannot simply match Chicago and win the division. They have to finish ahead outright. The Guardians have to go out and take it against Boston and Kansas City while a team that lost 121 games two summers ago refuses to disappear.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.