The Chicago White Sox were not the AL Central Division champions in 2023. They should have been based on all of the lies that were fed by the front office a few years ago but they are not.
That team in 2023 was the Minnesota Twins. They won it with relative ease as nobody in the division truly challened them. They were the third best division winner, however, so they had to play in the Wild Card series instead of having a first-round bye.
They matched up with the Toronto Blue Jays and took care of them in two games. It was a bit of a surprising win for the Twins as many expected the Jays to get it done in that series.
Now, in the ALCS, nobody is going to have much faith in the Twins as they will take on the Houston Astros. Of course, it didn't get better when Jose Abreu's new team took it to Minnesota for the big game one win.
The White Sox are seeing what being the AL Central winner can do for you.
The Twins made it a game as it went on which put the Astros on their toes but they still ended up with the big win. Houston is built for big postseason runs like this as they've shown in the past.
Minnesota, to their credit, didn't just go away without a fight after losing just one game. They ended up getting a big win in game two to tie the series at one win apiece.
Carlos Correa had a big day at the plate against his old team and made the final out of the game on a very nice play. He got out his replacement in Houston, Jeremy Pena, on a diving play and throw to first base. He was brilliant and is proof that paying for good players can help a team win.
Maybe the Sox can learn a thing or two from them now that they are seeing an AL Central team have a moderate amount of success in the postseason.
Now, the White Sox's biggest rival in the Twins will come home to Minnesota. Monday is an off-day for the series but it will pick back up at Target Field on Tuesday. It should be fun to watch, despite the fact that White Sox fans have a lot of disdain toward both teams. Good baseball, however, is good baseball.