Yes, the White Sox did end up snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory by falling from the No. 2 seed into the No. 6 and final Wild Card spot at the end of the season, and their punishment is extreme: Having to spend additional time in Texas.
Worse, due to the compressed nature of the playoffs and the desire to play as few games in snow flurries as possible, there is not even time for a travel day in the Wild Card Round so that both teams get at least one home game (in the minors, three-game postseason
series start with the lower seed getting Game 1 at home, then the better seed hosting Game 2 and a possible Game 3). Thus, the entire series is played in Houston, essentially one more “normal” series tacked on to the regular season in order to winnow the playoff teams down to a proper four.
As expected, the White Sox will not be in prime time, a consequence of both the middle-ground Central Time Zone and “disinterest” in the White Sox and Astros nationally. Yes, Chicago is the third and Houston the sixth media market in the country, but, you know, those other Sawx have brain control over MLB and, I don’t know, “the Cubs.”
But the White Sox have a consistent spot, with 4 p.m. Central Games 1 and 2 in Houston, then a possible time shift for a potential Game 3 depending on which of the other three series have already wrapped up.
And sadly, for those of you not enslaved by the Universal Corporation/NBC with your streaming, that is where the entire Wild Card series lands this year, with no local broadcasting beyond Steve Stone sneaking into the Peacock booth to provide color commentary.
So, if the White Sox and Astros go three games along with every other Wild Card series, here is how things will shake out:
Game 1 (Tuesday, September 29) White Sox at Astros, 4 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 2 (Wednesday, September 30) White Sox at Astros, 4 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and all four series are still active) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 4 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Atlanta-Philadelphia is finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 1 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Padres-Cubs is finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 4 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Yankees-Red Sox is finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 4 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Atlanta-Philadelphia and Padres-Cubs are finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 1 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Atlanta-Philadelphia and Red Sox-Yankees are finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 1 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and Red Sox-Yankees and Padres-Cubs are finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 1 p.m. CT (Peacock and NBCSN)
Game 3 (if needed, and all other three series are finished) (Thursday, October 1) White Sox at Astros, 7 p.m. CT (NBC and Peacock)
For you baseball hounds who want to watch every game, or have a secret other favorite baseball team you want to keep hidden from your sisters and brothers at South Side Sox, here’s the full slate of Wild Card broadcast games, per MLB:
