The Chicago White Sox are on an absolute tear, roaring through the 2026 postseason with a flawless 4-0 record and pushing the Cleveland Guardians to the absolute brink of elimination. They just snagged another win against Cleveland, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Division Series, with every single one of those four playoff victories coming on the road.
White Sox Riding High, Guardians on the Ropes
This White Sox squad is looking unstoppable, and the Guardians are seriously feeling the pressure. For some perspective, since the best-of-five Division Series started back in ’95, the team that grabs Game 1 goes on to win the series a staggering 73% of the time. Plus, nearly a third of those series, 32% to be exact, end in a sweep. The White Sox are definitely in the driver’s seat after their 4-3 victory in Game 2, and honestly, the Guardians have to be worried sick about facing elimination. Over in the other ALDS, the New York Yankees are trying to battle back against the Tampa Bay Rays, who currently lead their series 1-0, with Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler on the mound for the Yanks.
The Garrett Crochet Trade: A Masterclass in Roster Building
You want to talk about impact? Look no further than the Garrett Crochet trade. For the second time this postseason, the three position players Chicago got from the Red Sox in that deal absolutely willed them to victory. They did it in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Astros, and they did it again Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS. Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery, and Kyle Teel, the haul from that two-year-old trade, went a combined 4 for 12 with 3 RBI.
Teel got things started for Chicago in the fourth, hitting a leadoff single and eventually coming around to score the White Sox’s first run on a Munetaka Murakami single. But Montgomery, man, he delivered the biggest blow of the night. In the sixth inning, he ripped a two-out, two-run double to right field, flipping a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 White Sox lead. Talk about clutch hitting! Meidroth then followed that up with a single to right, scoring Montgomery and adding what proved to be a crucial insurance run. In the end, these three guys accounted for four of Chicago’s six hits and either scored or drove in all four runs. And let’s not forget Sean Burke, who wasn’t part of that trade, but was terrific, throwing 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball behind a pair of openers and striking out six.
The White Sox didn’t even want to trade Crochet a couple of years back. But after losing a modern record 121 games, they had to rebuild the roster, and GM Chris Getz just absolutely nailed that deal. Three of the four players he got in return are playing huge roles in October. This is exactly how you draw it up.
Pope Leo’s White Sox are now just one win away from their first ALCS since their 2005 World Series championship. Game 3 is next, and the Guardians are going to have to find a way to stop this White Sox momentum, or their season is over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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