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 designated hitter Matt Shaw heads to the dugout after flying out to end the seventh inning against the Marlins at Wrigley Field on Sept. 22, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Record: 87-70 through Tuesday.
Magic number for a wild-card spot: 1 (combination of Cubs wins and Arizona Diamondbacks losses).
Tuesday’s result: 8-2 loss to the Miami Marlins in 12 innings.
Games remaining: 5.
NL Central standings: The Brewers have clinched the division.
NL wild card: The Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres are tied for the No. 1 spot. The Diamondbacks are four games back after their win on Tuesday. The Cubs own the tiebreaker over all three teams.
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 45 home runs and 39 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
Chicago White Sox’s Chase Meidroth (10) celebrates with Munetaka Murakami (5) after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Record: 81-76 through Tuesday.
Magic number for a wild-card spot: 3 (combination of Sox wins and Houston Astros losses).
Tuesday’s result: 14-11 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Games remaining: 5.
AL Central standings: The White Sox trail the first-place Guardians — who also won Tuesday — by one game. If the Sox and Guardians finish with the same record, the Sox own the tiebreaker and would win the division title.
AL wild card: The Sox hold the No. 3 spot, three games ahead of the Texas Rangers and four games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Last playoff appearance: 2021 as the AL Central champions and No. 3 seed in the AL. The White Sox lost to the 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