White Sox Rout Royals 9-1, Clinch First Playoff Berth in 5 Years

The Chicago White Sox are going to the playoffs. A 9-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium clinched Chicago's first postseason berth in five years, completing one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent memory.

David Sandlin set the tone, working six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and no walks. Kansas City starter Randy Dobnak didn't survive the second, allowing four earned runs on six hits in 1.1 innings.

How Our Picks Fared

Moneyline — White Sox: WIN. The model's lean was correct, and the game was never close after the early innings.

Run line — Royals +1.5: LOSS. This was the model's thinnest edge, and it got run over. Chicago won by eight.

Total — Under: LOSS. The under was the model's highest-conviction play and it failed decisively as the White Sox put up nine.

Prop Card

Bobby Witt Jr. over 1.5 total bases (+106): WIN. Witt finished with two total bases, just enough to get over the number.

Chase Meidroth over 0.5 runs scored (+159): LOSS. Meidroth went 2-for-3 with three total bases but never crossed the plate.

Miguel Vargas over 0.5 walks (+101): WIN. Vargas drew a walk to go with two hits, two runs and two RBI.

Takeaway

The honest lesson here is about conviction. The moneyline and the walk prop landed, but the two plays the model graded highest — the under and the run line — both failed. A lopsided game can punish a totals edge even when the pitching matchup looks favorable on paper. For future cards, that's a reminder to weight blowout risk more heavily when one side is playing for its season and the other is playing out the string.