Tim Anderson Closes a White Sox Chapter

Sean Burke started Friday, Davis Martin worked only two-thirds of an inning Saturday, and Anthony Kay threw five innings Sunday. That leaves Erick Fedde as the most natural rested option to handle the bulk of Game 1, although Chicago has not announced how Venable plans to deploy his pitching staff.

An opener could give the White Sox another way to structure the game before turning it over to Fedde. Hagen Smith would offer a left-handed option for that type of role, while David Sandlin could provide length if Chicago wants another multi-inning arm available behind him. Neither role has been announced.

Kay earned Sunday’s win after allowing one run over five innings. He finished the regular season at 158 innings, two short of the 160-inning threshold that would have triggered a $125,000 bonus. Sean Newcomb reached an incentive of his own during the finale, reaching 90 innings to trigger a $100,000 bonus.

Back to Houston

Chicago now knows where its first postseason series in five years will begin.

The Astros clinched the AL West on Sunday, setting up a Wild Card Series at Daikin Park. Game 1 is Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT, with Game 2 scheduled for the same time Wednesday. A third game would be played Thursday if necessary.

The matchup is familiar. Houston took five of seven from Chicago during the regular season, winning two of three at Rate Field in July and three of four at Daikin Park from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3. The White Sox’s lone win in Houston was a 5-1 victory on Sept. 1.

Houston has already been part of two very different endpoints in modern White Sox postseason history.

In 2005, Chicago swept the Astros in the World Series. The White Sox completed an 11-1 postseason run with a 1-0 win in Game 4 at Minute Maid Park, securing the franchise’s first championship since 1917.

Sixteen years later, Houston beat Chicago three games to one in the 2021 ALDS. Anderson was part of a team that appeared positioned to make October a regular occurrence after consecutive postseason appearances in 2020 and 2021. Instead, that loss remains the franchise’s most recent postseason game.

Chicago’s next one comes against the same club.

The regular-season results give Chicago reason to respect the matchup without treating seven games as predictive. Sean Burke put it more simply after Sunday’s finale: “If we play our best baseball, it doesn’t matter who our opponent is.”

A Different White Sox Team

It was a fitting way for this regular season to end.

Two years ago, the White Sox lost a record 121 games. Another 102 losses followed last season. Chicago finished 2026 at 84-78, a 24-win improvement and the most victories in MLB history by a team coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons. The previous high was 70, shared by the 2014 Astros, 1965 Senators and 1925 Boston Braves.

Chicago also became the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason immediately after even two consecutive 100-loss seasons. The White Sox did it after three.

The turnaround showed up in the stands, too. Chicago drew 1,986,419 fans this season, up from 1,445,738 in 2025. James Fegan noted that it was the club’s highest attendance since 2022 and its second-highest total in the last 15 seasons.

Anderson’s return arrived in the middle of that turnaround. His ceremony opened a four-game series against Detroit on Sept. 17. Three days later, Chicago finished a 3-1 series win with an 8-1 victory that officially eliminated the Tigers. Minnesota had won earlier that afternoon, but the White Sox victory also knocked the Twins out of the Wild Card race.

Comerica Park was where Chicago absorbed loss No. 121 in 2024 as Detroit headed toward October. Two years later, the White Sox were the club ending the Tigers’ season.

Four days later, Chicago clinched its own postseason berth in Kansas City. Getz began his front-office career with the Royals after his playing days ended and worked there during their 2015 championship season. Assistant general manager Jin Wong spent 24 seasons in Kansas City and played an integral role in the Royals’ consecutive American League pennants in 2014 and 2015.

The regular season ended against a Colorado team with more than 100 losses, another reminder of how quickly Chicago’s position changed. The White Sox had spent the previous three seasons on that side of the standings. This time, they finished 84-78 and headed to the postseason.

Anderson came back to close his White Sox career on his terms. The Southside uniforms recalled the last Chicago team that knew what October felt like, but the group wearing them now created its own path there.

Anderson got the closure he wanted. This White Sox team now gets its turn in the postseason, beginning Tuesday in Houston.