The White Sox completed a two-game Wild Card sweep of the Astros on Wednesday, clinching their first postseason series win since the 2005 World Series and a Division Series date with Cleveland.
The big picture: The Yankees finished off the Red Sox 9-2 to take their series 2-0 and will face the top-seeded Rays in the ALDS starting Saturday in Tampa Bay. Chicago opens at the Guardians the same day.
- Philadelphia stayed alive with a 4-3 win over Atlanta in 10 innings, tying that series 1-1 and setting up a do-or-die Game 3 on Thursday afternoon. The Padres led the Cubs 1-0 heading into Wednesday night's game.
- Cleveland earned the AL's second seed with an 85-77 record, 10th best among the 12 playoff teams, and gets an 84-win White Sox club. The Brewers (103 wins) and two-time defending champion Dodgers (100 wins) host NLDS Game 1s on Saturday.
Why it matters: Chicago went 21 years between playoff series wins, long enough that most of the roster was in grade school for the last one.
What's next: Milwaukee gets the Padres-Cubs winner and Los Angeles gets the Braves or Phillies, with Division Series games every day from Saturday through October 10. The byes went to the Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers.
