KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Chicago White Sox clinched a postseason berth Thursday afternoon, scoring early and often behind David Sandlin in a 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox improved to 83-78, while Kansas City fell to 69-91. The game took 2 hours, 35 minutes and drew 15,592 fans. Chicago finished with 12 hits, and Kansas City had seven. Sandlin earned the win, and Randy Dobnak took the loss.

Chicago wasted little time. Sam Antonacci opened the first with a single to center, and Kyle Teel reached on a sacrifice bunt when Dobnak made a throwing error. Miguel Vargas lined a single to left that scored Antonacci and sent Teel to third. After Munetaka Murakami struck out, Andrew Benintendi lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Teel. Tristan Peters then singled to center to drive in Vargas, and Chase Meidroth followed with a single that moved Peters to third. Colson Montgomery flied out to end the inning, but the White Sox had a 3-0 lead.

The White Sox added three more in the second. Braden Montgomery singled, Antonacci walked, and Teel was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Vargas lined a single to right that scored Antonacci and moved Teel to third. Murakami grounded into a force out that scored Teel, and Vargas was retired at second. Benintendi struck out and Peters lined out, but Chicago had stretched its advantage to 6-0.

Kansas City’s best chance against Sandlin came early. Bobby Witt Jr. doubled with one out in the first, but Sandlin struck out Salvador Perez to end the threat. Sandlin retired the side in order in the third. In the fourth, Kyle Teel homered to center for his fifth home run, and Chicago added another run when Peters grounded into a force out that scored Vargas after walks to Vargas and Benintendi and a single by Murakami. The Royals got on the board in the bottom half when Perez homered to left-center, his 20th of the season. Sandlin then struck out Michael Massey and John Rave around a Loftin groundout.

Chicago answered in the fifth. Antonacci singled, Teel walked, and after Vargas struck out, Murakami walked to load the bases. Benintendi drew a walk that forced in Antonacci for the final run. Peters grounded out to end the inning. Sandlin completed six innings, allowing five hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts. He improved to 3-2. Dobnak, who allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits over two innings, fell to 3-5.

Chicago threatened again in the third when Meidroth doubled to left, but Montgomery and Braden Montgomery struck out and Antonacci flied out. The White Sox went quietly in the sixth, seventh and eighth before another chance in the ninth. Braden Montgomery doubled with one out, Antonacci grounded out to move him to third, and Teel was hit by a pitch. Vargas struck out to leave the runners stranded. Kansas City managed little against the Chicago bullpen. In the fifth, Isbel singled before Collins grounded into a double play from Colson Montgomery to Murakami. Jensen struck out to end the inning. Witt, Pasquantino and Perez went down in order in the sixth. In the seventh, Massey grounded out, Loftin struck out, Rave doubled and Isbel struck out. The eighth brought three more outs on a foul-tip strikeout by Collins, a flyout by Jensen and a lineout by Witt. In the ninth, Pasquantino lined out, Perez walked, Massey flied out, Loftin doubled and Rave grounded out to Antonacci at second base, who threw to pitcher Trevor Richards covering first.

The Royals bullpen kept the White Sox off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Spencer Bivens worked two innings and allowed one hit with four strikeouts. Anthony Gose followed with 1 2/3 innings, one hit and three strikeouts. Jose Cuas gave up one run on one hit with three walks and two strikeouts over two innings. Nolan Hoffman pitched a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout. Chicago’s bullpen finished with three scoreless innings. Huascar Brazoban allowed one hit and struck out two in an inning. Trevor Richards allowed one hit and one walk in an inning. Tyler Davis struck out one in a hitless inning.

Kyle Teel was Chicago’s top offensive performer, finishing 2 for 2 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. He also reached on a hit by pitch twice. Vargas drove in two runs and scored twice. Antonacci reached base four times and scored three runs. Benintendi drove in two. Perez accounted for Kansas City’s run with his homer, going 1 for 3. Witt doubled, John Rave doubled, Nick Loftin doubled, and Kyle Isbel had two hits for the Royals, but Kansas City could not convert against Sandlin or the White Sox relief corps.

The win completed a remarkable turnaround for a franchise that lost 121 games in 2024. Catcher Edgar Quero had predicted better days months before the 2025 season, pointing to the club’s youthful energy even after that difficult year. He repeated that belief in spring training, saying the young core had gained from minor league playoff experience and formed the base of a strong team. This season has been less rewarding for Quero individually. The switch-hitting catcher moved from a co-starter role alongside Teel to off the playoff roster. He still contributed two memorable moments: a walk-off home run against Ryan Rolison and the Cubs to secure the Crosstown Series at Rate Field on May 27, and a walk-off single against the Yankees on July 29.

The White Sox will return home to face the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series beginning Friday. Kansas City will host the Cleveland Guardians for three games starting Friday. Chicago’s magic number for playoff positioning and its exact postseason seed will be determined over the final days of the regular season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Chicago to win 9-5. The ELO system gave the White Sox a 51.2 percent probability of victory before the game. Chicago had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The combined total of 10 runs went under the over-under line of 8.5.