Tag / Guardians

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Fitbit 12 – Week 38

Another great week, surpassing my daily goal three times while extending my streak of 40,000 step weeks to seventeen.  The week got off to a great start, scoring 8500 steps on Sunday thanks to a long morning walk.  Monday once again saw me finish above my daily goal, finishing with 7800 steps.  Things slowed down a bit on Tuesday, falling to 4700 steps.  Wednesday improved to 6700 steps as the ALDS moved to Rate Field.  Thursday’s Game 4 between the White Sox and Guardians finished with me over 8300 steps.  Another slow day on Friday left me 15 steps shy of 5100.  Two smaller walks on Saturday, in addition to a haircut, finished the week with 37 steps shy of 6800.

Total steps: 47,994

Daily average: 6856.3

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2026 Final Standings

The Cinderella story that was the 2026 White Sox turned back into a pumpkin last night as they dropped the fifth and decisive game of the ALDS to the Guardians, bringing the 2026 Chicago baseball season to a close.  The White Sox became the first team in MLB history to make the playoffs following two (let alone three) consecutive 100+ loss seasons, winning their first postseason series since 2005.  The Cubs, meanwhile, faltered down the stretch, dropping out of the top Wild Card spot and found themselves having to travel to San Diego, where they were quickly swept.  Overall, I managed to attend 44 games, my eleventh highest total, at four different stadiums, seeing 23 of the 30 teams along the way.

2026 Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Cincinnati Reds 2 0 1.000
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Washington Nationals 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1.000
Atlanta Braves 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 10 5 0.667
Cleveland Guardians 2 1 0.667
Chicago White Sox 18 16 0.529
Houston Astros 1 1 0.500
Kansas City Royals 1 1 0.500
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2026 Predictions Revisited

Way back in March, when the 2026 season was just about to get underway, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what. With the Division Series round kicking off this afternoon, it is time to revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Well, despite adding Dylan Cease to a team that nearly won the World Series last year, the Blue Jays could not put things together and the Rays re-took the top spot in the division.

Central: Tigers

The White Sox had a surprising, long run atop the Central but, in the end, the Guardians won out.

West: Mariners

The Astros ended up “winning” this division, becoming the worst playoff team by record in a full season in the history of the sport.

Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros

Two out of three ain’t bad, with the surprising White Sox taking the final spot.

AL Champion: Tigers

Well, that’s obviously not going to happen.  My guess is whoever wins the ALDS series between the Rays and the Yankees will take the pennant.

Cy Young: Tarik Skubal

Skubal got hurt and then was traded to the Dodgers, so it seems unlikely he will win his third in a row.  At this point, I’m going to guess Yankees hurler Cam Schlitter will win.

MVP: Julio Rodriguez

Despite the Astros struggles, it looks like Yordan Alvarez is the front runner to take home this award.

National League

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Playoff Pitching Leaders

As the calendar turns to October, one Chicago team remains alive in the postseason, and it is not the one anyone would have expected when the season kicked off back in March.  The White Sox took care of business yesterday, dispatching the Astros to win their Wild Card series and will be heading to the ALDS against the Guardians this weekend.  Meanwhile, the Cubs once again fell to the Padres, ending their season.  While we wait for the next round, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the now 35 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 2
Jon Lester 2
Jake Arrieta 2
29 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Matt Clement 2
33 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Aroldis Chapman 0.00
Stephen Strasburg 0.00
Kyle Freeland 0.00
Johnny Cueto 1.13
Chad Billingsley 1.35

Strikeouts

Name Total
Jon Lester 25
Jake Arrieta 22
Mark Buehrle 13
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Clinched

With their 9-1 victory over the Royals in Kansas City yesterday, the White Sox clinched a postseason berth, their first since 2021.  They became just the fourth team to make the playoffs a year after losing 100+ games and the first to ever do so after two straight years of 100+ losses.  They also became the first team in MLB history to notch a winning record following two 100+ loss seasons.  With three games to go in the regular season, they remain one game behind the Guardians for the AL Central title and hold the tiebreaker.

Mere minutes later, the Cubs followed suit, officially wrapping up their spot in the postseason with a 2-1 win over the Marlins at Wrigley Field.  The Cubs currently sit one game behind the Padres for the top Wild Card seed in the NL and face a tough weekend in Boston (and maybe Tampa?) to wrap up the season.

This is just the fourth time both Chicago teams have made the postseason in the same year and the first, with fans allowed in the stands, since 2008.

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Falling Apart

The White Sox were 307-2 at home in the 21st Century when leading by six or more runs coming into yesterday’s game.  Sadly, they are now 307-3.  Blowing an 8-2 lead, the White Sox lost 11-8 to the Tigers last night, which, combined with a Guardians victory over the A’s earlier in the evening, pushed them back down to second place.

That leaves the White Sox with a tenuous single game lead over the Rangers for the third Wild Card spot as they struggle to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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Back To First

After falling out of first place on Wednesday for the first time since early July, the White Sox rebounded yesterday, defeating the Tigers 3-1 and moving back into a tie for the AL Central lead with the Guardians.  Since they won the season series, the White Sox do hold the tiebreaker.  The White Sox continue their series with the Tigers tonight as the Guardians open a three-game tilt with the A’s in Cleveland.  With just over a week to go in the regular season, things are coming down to the wire.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 78 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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Falling Out Of First

After holding, at least, a share of the AL Central lead since July 4, the White Sox lost the division lead yesterday, losing to the Guardians 6-3 and falling a half game behind.  On the plus side, they are still tied in the loss column and do hold the tiebreaker with the Guardians, so it is not completely bleak.  With just ten games remaining in the regular season, they will look to turn around a losing trend that has lasted over a month now, going 19-24 since the start of August.  They start a four-game series at home against the Tigers tonight, while the Guardians start a three-game set at home against the A’s on Friday.

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Taking Charge

In danger of falling out of first place with a loss, the White Sox struck first in their crucial series with the Guardians last night, winning 7-3 and dropping their magic number to clinch the AL Central division to eleven.  The victory also gave the White Sox the season series, meaning they also have the advantage should the two teams end the season in a tie.  The series continues this afternoon in Cleveland for game two.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 77 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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Getting Things Moving Again

Following a season-high four game losing streak, the White Sox saw their magic number to clinch the AL Central division drop to thirteen yesterday thanks to their 6-5 victory over the Cardinals following the Twins defeating the Guardians 4-3 in Minneapolis earlier in the day.  Both series conclude this afternoon before the White Sox head to Cleveland for three starting tomorrow.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 76 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.