Many Chicago White Sox fans were genuinely cheering for the team to lose just two years ago.
asserted
team → cheer → ?
In late September 2024, the White Sox were taking the field for their final home series of the season.
asserted
Sox → take → season
The attendance was sparse, but those who did show up were hoping to witness history, as Chicago was one defeat away from setting the record for losses in a 162-game season.
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Chicago → show → season
The White Sox, of course, let them down, winning their final three home games before they lost their record 121st game on the road in their next series.
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they → let → series
Fast-forward to today, and the unthinkable has happened: The White Sox are returning home as heroes.
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Sox → forward → heroes
Chicago will play its first playoff game at home since 2021 on Wednesday.
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Chicago → play → Wednesday
And the White Sox will enter their matchup with the Cleveland Guardians up 2-0 in the American League Division Series, one win away from advancing to the Championship Series.
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Sox → enter → Series
After a respectable 81-81 finish in 2022, Chicago nosedived.
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Chicago → nosedive → 2022
The White Sox lost 101 games in 2023, 121 in 2024 and 102 more last year.
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Sox → lose → 2024
This season, they became the first team to make the playoffs after back-to-back 100-loss seasons — which also means they’re the first team to do so after three straight 100-loss seasons.
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they → become → seasons
On Wednesday, the Sox will have another chance at history, as they haven’t clinched a playoff series in front of their home fans since 1906.
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they → have → 1906
The fans have been “waiting 120 years, so maybe we can do it this year,” pitcher Grant Taylor, who recorded saves in each of the first two wins against the Guardians, told reporters Monday.
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who → wait → reporters
“I think it’s going to be unbelievable.
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it → think → ?
Those fans deserve it.
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fans → deserve → it
They’ve been with us for three years of 100 losses, and they’ve been with us a good bit this year giving us a lot of support as we’ve gone through this.
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we → give → this
So being able to give them a postseason game is going to be pretty special.”
Chicago has turned over most of its team since the 2024 season.
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Chicago → give → season
The White Sox have improved through several avenues since.
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Sox → improve → avenues
In the offseason, they signed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
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they → sign → Murakami
Murakami, 26, blasted 35 homers in his first MLB regular season, and he has added one more through his first four playoff appearances.
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he → blast → appearances
(Murakami also captured the attention of fans thanks to his enthusiastic postgame interviews.
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Murakami → capture → interviews
Meanwhile, pitchers such as Taylor and starter Sean Burke have emerged after having been drafted years ago.
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pitchers → emerge → Taylor
Taylor had a 2.25 ERA in 84 innings during the regular season.
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Taylor → have → season
Burke struck out 185 batters across 32 appearances (including 27 starts) and finished 17th among all pitchers in wins above replacement.
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Burke → strike → replacement
In addition to an explosive offense that was top 10 in both home runs and slugging percentage during the regular season, the White Sox have employed a unique pitching strategy, relying heavily on their relievers to throw multiple innings.
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Sox → employ → innings
“We knew we had to be different,” general manager Chris Getz told MLB Network this month.
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Getz → know → Network
“It became leaning into those arms.
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It → become → arms
What’s the pathway to win?
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pathway → ’ → ?
How do we solve today?
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we → solve → ?
Oftentimes it was getting creative with openers.
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it → get → openers
Thankfully, we’ve got some arms that can go multiple innings.”
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that → get → innings
(It’s also possible the team’s success is coming from a higher power, as Pope Leo XIV is a fan.
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XIV → ’ → power
“I willingly invoke the Almighty’s abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones,” the pope wrote in a letter to the team in September.)
The man in charge of the dugout is Will Venable, who played in the majors from 2008 to 2016.
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who → invoke → 2016
Venable became Chicago’s manager in October 2024 and has become a key part of the franchise’s turnaround.
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Venable → become → turnaround
“For where the organization was and the pain of those couple years in which there was 100-loss seasons, to see the growth and have the fans be a part of this and be able to celebrate this, it makes me happy for everyone involved with White Sox baseball,” Venable said after the White Sox won in the wild-card round.
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Sox → be → round
As impressive as the revival has been so far, the Sox don’t seem simply happy to be here.
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Sox → seem → ?
Asked in September what Chicago could do in the playoffs, designated hitter Andrew Benintendi told MLB.com his team was “confident.”
uncertain
team → ask → MLB.com
Added Benintendi: “We are dumb enough to think we can win it.
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we → add → it
The Aporia
