The Chicago White Sox have now officially clinched the AL Central for the first time since 2008. After cruising through the summer into the fall leading the division by a comfortable margin, the Sox have now officially clinched. This also represents the first time the Sox have made the playoffs in back to back years in the team’s history.
As the White Sox look towards the postseason, it’s almost certain that they will play the Astros without homefield advantage. The Sox have played exact .500 ball in the second half of the season, a concerning fact given that the Astros dominated them in the season series.
The Sox have had some positive news lately, however. Andrew Vaughn came back from the IL, although it’s unclear if he’s going to start over Leury Garcia. Vaughn has been a great bat against lefties this year. If there’s a left-handed starter, you can count on Vaughn playing. However, against right-handed pitchers Vaughn has been way less successful, only compiling a .620 OPS.
Coming into the year, it was expected that one of the Indians, White Sox, or Twins would win the division. The Twins and Indians collapsed, leaving the White Sox as the last team standing. And now they’re in the playoffs.
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