ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 19: Tim Anderson #7 of the Chicago White Sox reacts after scoring a run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on September 19, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox may have lost to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night, but they will still have a chance to clinch the American League Central on Tuesday.
In order to clinch the division, the White Sox will need some help from another divisional rival.
The White Sox will take on the Tigers at 12:10 p.m., with the game time moved up because of forecasted rain in the Motor City.
The Sox will need to win that game, and they will also need the Cleveland Indians to lose to the Kansas City Royals, with that game set to start at 5:10 p.m. Central time.
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If both of those outcomes come to pass, then the White Sox will clinch their first American League Central crown since 2008, and will clinch their second consecutive playoff berth. That would mark the first time in team history that the club would have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons.
If the White Sox can’t finish off the division-clincher on Tuesday, they will have another chance on Wednesday, as they will wrap up their series in Detroit and Cleveland will wrap up their series at home against the Royals.
After the White Sox presumably clinch the division title, their next step will be to determine their seeding in the American League. They are currently in the third spot in the league, meaning that they would open the Division Series round on the road. Their current opponent would be the Houston Astros, with the 2017 World Series champions currently trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by three and a half games in the race for the top seed in the American League.
