A pair of unlikely playoff teams
collide as the Astros face the White Sox in AL Wild Card Series
[September 29, 2026]
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros are the first team to reach the
postseason without a winning record.
The Chicago White Sox are the only team in major league history to
follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth.
Now these two improbable playoff teams will meet in a best-of-three
AL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday in Houston.
The Astros are led by AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, who won the AL
batting title, ranked second with 106 RBIs and was tied for second
with 42 homers.
Chicago features three 30-homer stars, led by Japanese rookie
slugger Munetaka Murakami, who hit 35, Miguel Vargas with 33 and
Colson Montgomery, who had 31.
The White Sox lost at least 100 games in each of the past three
seasons, with the low point coming when they dropped 121 games in
2024, setting the record for most losses since 1900. Will Venable
took over as manager before last season and Chicago went 60-102 in
2025 before this season's huge turnaround to 84-78 that was enough
to earn the final American League wild card.
“There was a moment (Sunday) after the game where we just paused for
a second and said, hey, we understand we have the playoffs coming
up, we understand this is all behind us as far as the regular
season, but we’re proud of the fact that we were able to get 84 wins
and all the progress that has really led to that,” Venable said
Monday.
Though the Astros didn’t clinch their playoff berth until Sunday,
going 81-81 to outlast Texas for the AL West title, their recent
history is much different than that of the White Sox.
Houston fought through an injury-plagued season to reach the
playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years after missing out last
season. It’s a remarkable stretch in which the Astros reached the
American League Championship Series seven straight times from
2017-23 and advanced to the World Series four times, winning
championships in 2017 and 2022.
“I’ve been here for almost a decade and just how this team just
rallies around adversity — they don’t run from it. They actually run
to it,” manager Joe Espada said. “They know that it’s going to
happen. And watching them choose not to fold, they choose to fight,
they choose to help one another, is very satisfying. It brings joy
to see … their best version when things get tougher.”
Espada's contract expires at season's end and owner Jim Crane said
Monday the team’s playoff berth will be “something to consider" when
deciding on the skipper's future.
The White Sox return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021,
when they were eliminated by the Astros in four games in their
Division Series.
Houston’s last trip to the postseason was a short one when the team
was swept by the Detroit Tigers in a 2024 Wild Card Series.
The Astros are hoping to make a lot more noise this time around.
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Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami, of Japan, celebrates with
teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the
first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Friday,
Sept. 25, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
“Everyone starts from zero,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said. “The
records in the regular season, they don’t matter now. Everyone’s
starting from scratch, and it’s a short tournament. So, (let’s) see
what happens.”
For starters
Both teams will go with a bullpen game in Tuesday’s series opener.
The Astros will open with rookie AJ Blubaugh and the White Sox
haden’t said who will open for them.
“Depending on how some guys feel and as we are trying to match up
availability with how these guys are feeling, we’ll map it out a
little bit more with more certainty,” Venable said. “But you can
expect more of a bullpen-type game from us.”
The 26-year-old Blubaugh is 8-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 11 appearances
with three starts across two seasons.
Disrespected?
Alvarez led the majors and set a franchise record with 33
intentional walks this season. When teams first began issuing
Alvarez free passes, Isaac Paredes, who bats behind him, felt it.
“I felt like they were kind of disrespecting me as a hitter,”
Paredes said in Spanish through a translator. “But I felt as the
season went on, I stopped taking it personal because Yordan is truly
the greatest hitter right now in baseball so there was no reason for
me to take it as a lack of respect towards myself.”
Paredes fouled a ball off his knee Saturday and played Sunday
despite being sore. But he said he was feeling great on Monday and
doesn’t think it will affect him in Game 1.
He ranks third on the team with 25 home runs, and his 94 RBIs are
second.
Dream come true
The 26-year-old Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal in
December to join the White Sox after they paid a $6,575,000 posting
fee to the Yakult Swallows.
He’s thrilled to be in the postseason during his first year in the
majors after spending eight years playing in Nippon Professional
Baseball in Japan.
“I’m here (in) the postseason. ... I feel really excited,” he said
in Japanese through a translator. “It’s just a feeling that I always
dreamed about, so I’m just truly excited to be here and really happy
to be here.”
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