CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox had their hopes of winning the AL Central dashed when Hunter Goodman hit his 40th and 41st homers to lift the Colorado Rockies in a 9-6 win Saturday night.
The White Sox needed to beat the Rockies to stay alive in the division race after the Cleveland Guardians won 11-5 at Kansas City on Saturday to take a two-game lead on the season's penultimate day.
Chicago will be the final AL wild card and will play on the road against the AL West winner in a three-game Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday. The race between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros for the West crown will come down to the season's last day.
Chicago is the first team to earn a playoff berth after consecutive 100-loss seasons.
The Rockies won for just the fourth time in 21 games. They improved to a major league-worst 58-103 after losing a club-record 119 last season.
The White Sox led or were tied for first in the AL Central from July 4 until Sept. 16.
Ryan Feltner (7-10) gave up three hits in 3 2/3 innings in relief for Colorado.
The Rockies went ahead 3-0 in the first. Davis Martin (9-8) committed a fielding error before allowing three singles, a walk and two earned runs while recording just two outs.
Goodman homered off Noah Schultz in the third, becoming the first Rockies player to hit 40 homers since Nolan Arenado in 2019. Ezequiel Tovar added his 13th homer in the fourth to make it 5-2. Goodman added a three-run shot in the Rockies’ four-run ninth.
Andrew Benintendi hit a three-run homer in the ninth for Chicago. Brenton Doyle and Luisangel Acuña also homered.
The White Sox had their chances. They put runners at the corners in the sixth, but Feltner struck out pinch hitter Colson Montgomery to end the inning. Montgomery extended the season record for strikeouts to 225.
LHP Anthony Kay (9-9, 4.53 ERA) is set to start for the White Sox in Sunday’s regular season finale. LHP Kyle Freeland (4-11, 6.58) will pitch for Colorado.
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Colorado Rockies' Jake McCarthy runs to third base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox,Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin (65) reacts in the dugout after being pulled during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin reacts in the dugout after being pulled during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Once again, the Cleveland Guardians are division champs.
Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each hit two of Cleveland's five home runs as the Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5 on Saturday night to clinch their third straight AL Central title.
Cleveland's victory coupled with Chicago's 9-6 loss to Colorado gave the Guardians (85-76) a two-game lead over the second-place White Sox (83-78) with one game remaining in the regular season.
José Ramírez and the Guardians are assured the No. 2 seed in the American League playoffs and a first-round bye into a best-of-five Division Series. They will have five days off and then home-field advantage against the winner of a best-of-three Wild Card Series between the No. 6 seed White Sox and either Houston or Texas — whichever one wins the AL West on Sunday.
It is Cleveland's seventh division crown in the past 11 seasons.
Kansas City jumped on Tanner Bibee for three first-inning runs, highlighted by doubles from Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. But then Bibee shut out Kansas City as Cleveland quickly mounted a comeback.
A fielding error by Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop opened the Guardians’ four-run second inning. Bailey hooked a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole, and Cleveland grabbed a 4-3 lead when Steven Kwan’s slicing liner eluded diving left fielder Isaac Collins for an RBI triple — one of four extra-base hits in the inning.
After missing four games with a right wrist sprain, Chase DeLauter lined Michael Wacha’s second pitch of the third into the right-field seats for his 16th home run.
Travis Bazzana tripled and scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Rocchio hit his 14th homer in the seventh. Bailey and Rocchio connected for back-to-back homers to highlight a four-run ninth.
Nine of the Guardians’ 14 hits went for extra bases.
Bibee (7-15) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out six. Cleveland has won nine of 10 games and five straight series.
Wacha (9-10) worked 6 1/3 innings, permitting six runs — two earned — and six hits.
The last-place Royals (68-93) have dropped 11 of 13 and 18 of 24. Kansas City lost eight straight series to finish the season, its longest such skid since losing eight in a row from April 10 to May 7, 2023.
The Guardians were undecided on the mound for their regular-season finale Sunday against LHP Daniel Lynch (6-6, 4.13 ERA) and the Royals.
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Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey (16) and starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) miss catching a foul ball hit by Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals left fielder Isaac Collins can't make the catch of a triple hit by Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Cleveland Guardians' Nathaniel Lowe watches his sacrifice fly to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Nathaniel Lowe during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio, right, celebrates with Steven Kwan (38) after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
