White Sox Sweep Astros in AL Wild Card, Advance to Face Guardians
Chicago completes a historic turnaround with a 7-3 win in Game 2, securing its first playoff series victory since the 2005 World Series championship run.
The Chicago White Sox are moving on.
On Wednesday night in Houston, the White Sox defeated the Astros 7-3 in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series, completing a two-game sweep and earning their first postseason series win since 2005. Chase Meidroth’s three-run home run in the sixth inning provided the decisive blow after Chicago jumped out to an early lead.
The White Sox, who finished the regular season 84-78 as the AL’s No. 6 seed, will face the Cleveland Guardians in the best-of-five AL Division Series beginning this weekend. The Guardians earned a first-round bye as the AL Central champions and No. 2 seed.
Game Recap
Chicago wasted little time. In the first inning against Astros starter Hunter Brown, the White Sox scored four runs. Sam Antonacci led off with a single, Kyle Teel drove him in, Miguel Vargas scored on a throwing error, and Tristan Peters added another RBI single. Brown was pulled after recording just two outs.
Houston answered with solo home runs from Jeremy Peña in the first, Cam Smith in the second, and Jose Altuve in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 4-3. The Astros loaded the bases in the fifth but failed to score.
In the sixth, Andrew Benintendi and Peters walked. Bryan Abreu entered and hung a slider to Meidroth, who drove it over the left-field wall for a three-run homer. The White Sox bullpen—Jordan Hicks and Erick Fedde—closed out the final four innings without allowing a hit.
The series results: White Sox 6-3 in Game 1 on Tuesday, 7-3 in Game 2 on Wednesday.
A Remarkable Turnaround
This postseason appearance marks the White Sox's first since 2021. More notably, Chicago becomes the first team in major league history to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons. The White Sox lost 100 or more games in 2023, 2024 (a modern-era record 121 losses), and 2025 before posting 84 wins this year.
Their last playoff series victory came in the 2005 postseason, when they swept the Houston Astros in the World Series to claim the franchise’s first title since 1917. In 2021, the White Sox lost to these same Astros in the AL Division Series, three games to one.
Playoff Picture
With the sweep, the White Sox advance to face Cleveland. The ALDS is scheduled to begin Saturday at Progressive Field. The Guardians finished 85-77 and claimed their third straight AL Central title.
Elsewhere in the American League Wild Card round, the New York Yankees lead the Boston Red Sox 1-0. In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are tied 1-1, while the San Diego Padres lead the Chicago Cubs 1-0. Division Series play begins this weekend for the four teams that advance, along with the bye teams: Tampa Bay Rays (AL No. 1), Guardians (AL No. 2), Milwaukee Brewers (NL No. 1), and Los Angeles Dodgers (NL No. 2).
The White Sox’s path has been anything but easy. From the lowest point of the modern era to a series win over a perennial contender, the club has given its fans a reason to believe again. The next test begins in Cleveland.