The Cubs and White Sox clinched postseason spots two minutes apart Sept. 24, a crazy coincidence for the city rivals.

On Wednesday the Sox advanced to the American League Division Series with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros in their wild-card series, about three hours before the Cubs bowed out of their wild-card series with a 4-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

It was a night of rejoicing on the South Side, both for the Sox win and Cubs loss. Cubs fans generally don’t care about the Sox, so their misery was focused solely on their team’s no-show performance at Petco Park. There was enough to grouse about until the expected lockout ends next summer.

The Sox move on to Cleveland while the Cubs come home to lick their wounds.

One city. Two teams. And a ton of emotions on both sides of town.

Nine innings to hate

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Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki sits in the dugout as the season comes to an end while the Padres celebrate their Game 2 win and sweep of an NL wild-card series Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2026, in San Diego. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)
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At the start of September the Cubs social media department released a TikTok series for Gen Z and millennials titled “Nine Innings to Love,” a minidrama about a couple falling in love over nine innings in the Wrigley Field bleachers. They might want to think about a sequel called  “Nine Innings to Hate” about a married couple coming apart at the seams watching the Cubs’ 8-0 loss to the Padres in Game 1.

There was much to dislike, from manager Craig Counsell’s decisions to Matthew Boyd’s hittable changeups to the near invisibility of stars Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and the rest of the Cubs lineup, excluding Nico Hoerner.

Team President Jed Hoyer will give his annual postmortem Friday, and it’s safe to guess he’ll allude to the pitching injuries and absolve Counsell of any blame for the disappointing ending.

Yet Counsell’s decision to go with Boyd for the opener was a head-scratcher when he could’ve used Clay Holmes for the assignment. The Cubs acquired Holmes at the trade deadline knowing he’d be needed in the postseason, especially if they faced a team with the type of right-handed power the Padres have. Right-handed hitters batted .247 off Boyd this year with a .711 OPS. They hit .198 off Holmes with a .528 OPS. The Padres’ right-handed hitters were fifth in September with an .826 OPS, led by Fernando Tatis Jr. (1.066), Xander Bogaerts (.905) and Ty France (.853).

With Kevin Gausman not ready because of his ailing left shoulder, the right-handed Holmes would’ve been the obvious choice for Game 1. But Counsell started Holmes in Friday’s doubleheader in Boston in a long-shot bid to gain back home field for the wild-card round.

The Cubs lost both games, and Holmes wasn’t available again until Game 3, which of course never happened. Now he’ll likely leave as a free agent, and we’ll never know what he could’ve done in a Cubs postseason.

Boyd served up a home run to Tatis on his first pitch and to Manny Machado on his fourth pitch. Both were poorly located changeups. Tatis, Machado, France and Bogaerts were a combined 4-for-7 off Boyd with three home runs and a double. Boyd has a mutual option for $15 million for 2027, which the Cubs figure to decline.

No-show offense

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson strikes out against the Padres in the third inning in Game 2 of their wild-card series on Sept. 30, 2026, in San Diego. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson strikes out against the Padres in the third inning in Game 2 of their wild-card series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in San Diego. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

The offense getting no-hit into the seventh inning of Game 1 overshadowed Boyd’s poor start, and they wound up with an abysmal .129 average in the two games with one extra-base hit.  Crow-Armstrong (0-for-7) let umpire Bill Miller get into his head on the checked-swing call in Game 1 he didn’t like, then made a bad ABS challenge that failed in the first at-bat of Game 2.

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Crow-Armstrong rightfully blamed himself afterward, and as the likely Most Valuable Player, the Cubs expected more out of him. Ditto Bregman, who was hitless in a postseason series for the first time in his 10 years in the playoffs. They weren’t the only ones at fault. Dansby Swanson’s third-inning strikeout with two on and no outs in Game 2 was the dagger. He swung at the last two pitches out of the zone instead of taking a walk.

Crow-Armstrong’s historic season won’t soon be forgotten, and the Cubs are lucky to have him. He’ll be the main drawing card until his deal ends in 2032. And at $10 million from 2027-29, he’ll be the most underpaid star in baseball.

But he’ll have to wait at least one more year to prove he can perform like a superstar in the postseason, which is when the money players separate themselves from the pack.

Bregman’s return from multiple facial fractures was a great story, but you have to wonder how many more games the Cubs would’ve won this season if he didn’t wait until July to start hitting. They finished a whopping 14 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The lack of hitting from the two big bats in the playoffs was reminiscent of the 2007 NLDS when Alfonso Soriano (2-for-14) and Aramis Ramirez (0-for-12) were no-shows in an Arizona Diamondbacks sweep. It happens to great hitters, but that never makes it easier to swallow.

Reinsdorf talks

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, right, talks to reporters in the clubhouse after a 7-3 win over the Astros in Game 2 of the wild-card series on Sept. 30, 2026, in Houston. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)
White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, right, talks with reporters in the clubhouse after a 7-3 win over the Astros in Game 2 of the wild-card series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Houston. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is the Greta Garbo of owners. He just wants to be alone.

When I began covering the Sox in the 1990s, Reinsdorf was almost always available for a comment and was one of the most interesting owners in the game. But years ago he was given some bad advice from his media-relations handlers to stop talking to the media. When I once asked him why, he said he was too honest and got himself in trouble.

So it was nice to see Reinsdorf end his media ban after Wednesday’s wild-card win, even for a few minutes, before he was pulled away by vice president of communications Scott Reifert. Reinsdorf got in some licks at the media’s criticism of him, which at least shows he’s paying attention.

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Reinsdorf’s popularity with Sox fans never has been high. But he might have converted a few on-the-fence fans who heard him talk about his team for the first time in years. Reinsdorf might not care about his image at age 90, but it would behoove him to speak with the media more often and let Sox fans know what he’s thinking. Not that he’s ever taken my advice before.

Bring back the Big Hurt

Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday at Sox Park, their first home playoff game since 2021, should be an electric night on the South Side. The Sox should do the right thing and invite former slugger Frank Thomas to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

Thomas has been estranged from the organization for months over a social media faux pas that bothered him and a lawsuit over sales of his jersey. Thomas can be stubborn at times, but he’s still one of the greatest hitters in Sox history.

Life is too short to hold grudges. The Sox need to end this feud and bring Thomas back into the fold, and a home playoff game is the perfect time.