Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami attempted to make a play on John Rave’s grounder with two outs in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Second baseman Sam Antonacci got to the ball first and made an underhand toss to reliever Trevor Richards — who was covering first.
Rave was called out on the bang-bang play, and the Sox wrapped up a postseason berth with the 9-1 win.
The Sox have come a long way in a relatively short time — going from losing a modern-day major-league record 121 games in 2024 to qualifying for the playoffs in 2026.
“You look at 2024, and we break the record, and I told our group ‘let’s embrace this,’ right?” general manager Chris Getz said Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. “Obviously you think about it, and you hurt for our fan base. But man, what an opportunity to turn this thing around and show what we are capable of doing as a group.
“And we did that. And we are getting rewarded for it.”
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Here are some of the steps that led to the turnaround.
Trades
The Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals pulled off a three-team trade on July 29, 2024.
Third baseman Miguel Vargas was one of the players the Sox received in the deal.
“We’re confident that he’s going to be a strong middle-of-the-lineup type hitter for us in the near future,” Getz said at the time of the trade.
That has turned out to be the case. Vargas ranks at or near the top in several offensive categories for the team this year.
The Sox got a big return when they dealt starter Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 11, 2024, including catcher Kyle Teel, second baseman Chase Meidroth and right fielder Braden Montgomery.
“You look at the long-term health of the organization and to inject the type of talent that we just did in this trade is really exciting for us,” Getz said on the day of the trade.
Teel and Meidroth joined the big-league club at different times during the 2025 season. Montgomery made a splash in his major-league debut on June 9, hitting a walk-off two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves.
Outfielder Tristan Peters has had a walk-off single (April 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays), a walk-off walk (July 30 against the New York Yankees) and a walk-off home run (Aug. 23 against the New York Mets). The Sox acquired Peters from the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 18, 2025. At the time it was an under-the-radar deal. Peters blossomed into an All-Star.
Signings
Murakami had heard that the Sox have “lost a lot of games in the past,” alluding to three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
“But that is in the past,” Murakami said through an interpreter on Dec. 22. “I only look forward. I’m excited with the exciting young players that this club has and I’m ready to take on that challenge to grow with the group.”
The Sox made a splash on Dec. 21, coming to terms on a two-year deal with the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball Japanese Central League Most Valuable Player.
The signing changed the course of the season. Murakami homered twice in Friday’s 6-1 victory against the Colorado Rockies and leads the team with 35.
The Sox also went to Japan to bring in starter Anthony Kay on a two-year deal. The left-hander had previous big-league experience before playing two seasons with the Yokohama BayStars.
Veterans such as pitcher Erick Fedde, reliever Sean Newcomb and outfielder Randal Grichuk have made various contributions on and off the field since signing one-year deals. Fedde has been one of the team’s most effective starters down the stretch (1.53 ERA in September). Grichuk has had big hits, such as a go-ahead two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 12.
“When I first got here, I felt comfortable so it obviously led to me having success, which helped the team,” Grichuk said Thursday. “It’s been a unique year for me and this ballclub and a fun one, one of the most special ones.”
Draft
Colson Montgomery called Thursday’s celebration “a product of a couple years in the making.”
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“This is all for the fans,” Montgomery said Thursday.
The shortstop has been one of the team’s impact draft picks, entering Saturday with 31 home runs.
The Sox selected Montgomery in the first round in 2021. He has hit 52 home runs since making his big-league debut in July 2025.
The team’s 2022 first-round pick, Noah Schultz, has been effective out of the bullpen since returning to the major leagues. And 2024 first-round pick Hagen Smith is one of the go-to relievers.
When it comes to the Sox bullpen, 2023 second-round pick Grant Taylor has been the top option late in games. He was sharp again Friday, striking out three in two scoreless innings.
Sean Burke, a 2021 third-round pick, earned his team-leading 11th victory Friday. Davis Martin, a 14th-round selection in 2018, entered Saturday’s start with a 0.89 ERA in September.
In terms of jump-starting the offense, Antonacci has handled those duties well when he’s often slotted in the leadoff spot.
Regardless of how the player arrived, Getz said of the group as a whole: “It’s about as good of a clubhouse as I’ve ever seen or been a part of.”
Getz also highlighted the contributions from the player development staff, the research and development team, the scouting and front office groups — along with the guidance of manager Will Venable, who was hired in October 2024, and the coaches.
“To watch the growth from Day 1 that I’ve been part of this organization has been really cool,” Venable said Thursday. “And obviously it’s all meant a lot. And here we are, celebrating a postseason berth.”