Baseball just went and made history tonight, and the Chicago White Sox are right in the middle of it. Game 1 of their AL Wild Card series against the Houston Astros kicked off with both teams rolling out an opener for the first time ever in postseason play. Yeah, you heard that right, *both* of them.
From Worst to Wild Card: Nobody Saw This White Sox Team Coming
Can we even talk about this White Sox team without bringing up where they came from? This squad etched a brutal 121 losses into the record books just two years ago, the worst MLB season in modern history. Then came 2025, another turbulent year, leading to three straight 100-loss seasons. Everyone, and I mean *everyone* , fans, journalists, projection models , thought 2026 would be maybe “moderately improved” at best. The clubhouse itself knew no one expected them to make noise with so many prospects breaking in. And honestly, after a rough April, where they were seven games worse than .500, who could blame them? But then came the comeback kids! These White Sox racked up an unbelievable 36 comeback wins and 11 walk-offs. They spent 96 days leading the AL Central, even getting to nine games better than .500 by late August. Now they’ve made history with 84 wins, grabbing a Wild Card spot after three straight 100-loss seasons. If that’s not a story, I don’t know what is!
The Opener Gamble and a Playoff Roster That Will Make You Say “Huh?”
So, about that opener strategy. Chicago has used an opener 31 times this season, and hey, it got them here, right? Tonight, it’s flamethrower Hagen Smith taking the mound for his first career postseason start and only his second appearance as an opener. And get this: the kid’s numbers are legit. He’s got a ridiculous 1.29 ERA in 28 innings over 18 games, a nasty 0.964 WHIP, and he’s struck out 41 batters with a 37.3% strikeout rate, fifth-highest in all of baseball! The whole idea is to shut down the top of Houston’s order, starting with Jeremy Peña, right from the jump. But here’s the kicker: the playoff roster decisions. Trevor Richards, a righty, and catcher Drew Romo? Both were “key contributors” this season, and neither is on the roster! Jake Rogers is now the backup catcher behind Kyle Teel. And instead of a 13th pitcher, we’re seeing Tommy Pham join the squad. GM Chris Getz chose not to go big on another starter at the trade deadline, and the starter he *did* trade for, Luis Castillo, isn’t even on this playoff roster. So yeah, the concern about pitching depth is absolutely still there. This is a bold move, especially heading into Houston looking for revenge after their 2021 ALDS defeat. Are they playing with fire, or is this the kind of gutsy call that makes history?
This isn’t just Game 1, folks. This is the White Sox making a statement, taking on the AL West champion Astros, and trying to flip the script from 2021. With all these wild decisions and that incredible journey to get here, you know this three-game Wild Card series is gonna be must-watch. Can their opener strategy hold up? Can these roster gambles pay off? You better believe we’ll be glued to every pitch to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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