Chicago White Sox fans have waited a long time to get well and truly revved up for postseason baseball. Prior to 2026, the team's last two October appearances came back in 2020 and 2021, when attendance was still restricted (or non-existent) due to COVID-19. And before that? You have to go all the way back to the 2008 ALDS.
That's nearly two decades off the MLB radar, with a whole lot of bad baseball in between. So in some sense it's understandable that, when ESPN ranked the eight remaining playoff teams by home-field advantage, they had the South Siders dead last. There are kids starting college right now who have never seen Rate Field packed and rocking.
But with all due respect to the Worldwide Leader (OK, not that much respect), they're in for a rude awakening. Because the truth is that White Sox fans haven't disappeared; they've just been waiting. And with their team already up 1-0 on the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, the anticipation for the return home for Game 3 is already through the roof — and the envy of the rest of the league.
White Sox ticket prices are through the roof ahead of ALDS Game 3
There are some marquee franchises still alive in the Division Series, from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees to the Atlanta Braves. (All of whom were ranked ahead of Chicago on ESPN's list, for the record.) And yet, according to data from TickPick, Game 3 of White Sox-Guardians at Rate Field is the most expensive ticket in the entire Divisional Round.
More than New York, more than L.A. Tickets for Game 3 sold out in minutes, and they're currently going for $250 or more on the secondary market. TickPick's average purchase price is currently $214 — and again, that's not even for the best seats in the house. The combined get-in price for Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland was $254. In Chicago? A whopping $389 for Games 3 and 4.
White Sox fans have laid dormant for too long, but the baseball world is about to get a reintroduction
But again, this shouldn't be much of a surprise. Sure, the Cubs get most of the love, but we're still talking about Chicago here, one of the biggest media markets in the country. All due respect to the Tony La Russa teams, but they've been waiting for this moment for two decades now.
That 2008 team won just 89 games and got bounced in four games by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. Plus, it was only three years after the White Sox finally snapped their near-century-long World Series drought in 2005. Now, though? The South Side has been wandering through the wilderness, only to finally come out the other side when they least expected it. Nothing was expected of this White Sox team on Opening Day, and not only did a young, homegrown core make the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule, but they then swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.
And even better, this team is fun. Munetaka Murakami does nothing but hit dingers and cut interviews that sound more like wrestling promos. Closer Grant Taylor has some of the most diabolical stuff in the league. Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel, Tristan Peters — all play the game hard and aren't shy about showing emotion while they do it. It's exactly the sort of unexpected thrill ride a long-suffering fan base is dying to get behind, and with the American League as wide-open as it's been in a long time, they have a real shot at winning a pennant too.
So no, White Sox fans don't have the best PR at the moment. But if you're old enough to remember the Blackout crowds in 2005, you understand that they can go toe-to-toe with anyone. And if ticket prices are any indication, they're saving their best for a team that's already captured Chicago's heart.
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