The marathon that is the Major League Baseball season is down to a September sprint, and the Cubs and White Sox are in the thick of a playoff hunt.
The Cubs will finish in second place in the National League Central for the fourth consecutive season — with the first-place Milwaukee Brewers having clinched their fourth straight division crown.
The White Sox, meanwhile, are in a neck-and-neck battle with the Cleveland Guardians for the American League Central crown. The Sox are trying to complete a remarkable worst-to-first turnaround after losing more than 100 games each of the last three seasons.
Here’s where things stand.
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Cubs
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong smiles as he rounds the bases after hitting his second solo home run of the game in the seventh inning against the Braves on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Record: 85-68 through Thursday.
Magic number for wild-card spot: 4 (combination of Cubs wins and Arizona Diamondbacks losses; the Cubs also need one win or one Miami Marlins loss to clinch).
Wednesday’s result: 8-4 win against the Atlanta Braves.
Games remaining: 9.
NL Central standings: The Brewers have clinched the division, and the Cubs are 10 games behind in second place.
NL wild card: The Cubs are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the No. 1 spot, one game ahead of the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks are still in the picture, four games behind the Padres.
Last playoff appearance: 2025 as the No. 4 seed in the NL as the top wild card. The Cubs beat the Padres 2-1 in the wild-card series before losing to the Brewers 3-2 in the division series.
Postseason history: 22 appearances in 150 seasons — eight division titles, four wild-card berths, 17 pennants and three championships (1907, 1908, 2016).
40-40 watch: Pete Crow-Armstrong is trying to become the seventh player in MLB history to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. He has 44 home runs and 37 stolen bases. The six who accomplished the feat:
José Canseco, Athletics, 1988: 42 home runs, 40 stolen bases
Barry Bonds, Giants, 1996: 42-40
Alex Rodriguez, Mariners, 1998: 42-46
Alfonso Soriano, Nationals, 2006: 46-41
Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, 2023: 41-73
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers, 2024: 54-59
White Sox
White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Tigers in the first inning Sept. 17, 2026, at Rate Field. (Michael Reaves/Getty)
Record: 78-75 through Thursday.
Magic number: 9 for AL Central title and 8 for a postseason berth.
Thursday’s result: 3-1 win against the Detroit Tigers.
Games remaining: 9.
AL Central standings: The White Sox are tied for first place with the Guardians. If the teams finish with the same record, the Sox own the tiebreaker and would win the division title.
Last playoff appearance: 2021 as the AL Central champions and No. 3 seed in the AL. The White Sox lost to the Houston Astros 3-1 in the division series.
Postseason history: 11 appearances in 125 seasons — six division titles, one wild-card berth, six pennants and three championships (1906, 1917, and 2005).
Playoff format
Wild-card round
Sept. 29-Oct. 1, best of three, all at the higher seed
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
Nos. 1 and 2 seeds have byes
Division series
Oct. 3-10, best of five, 2-2-1 format
No. 1 vs. No. 4/5 winner
No. 2 vs. No. 3/6 winner
League Championship Series
Oct. 11-20, best of seven, 2-3-2 format
World Series
Oct. 23-31, best of seven, 2-3-2 format