Both teams boast winning records as the surging White Sox look to snap the Cubs' recent dominance in a highly anticipated, high-stakes showdown for Chicago bragging rights.
It has been a while since the Crosstown Classic has been this hyped up.
Both teams’ records to start the 2026 season likely have something to do with that. The Chicago Cubs currently have the third-best record in baseball (28-16), and the Chicago White Sox are one game over .500 (22-21).
This is the first time both teams have faced each other while over .500 since the shortened 2020 season. The Cubs were 32-25, and the White Sox were 34-23 when the two squared off with no fans in the stadium on September 25, 2020.
Now, the fans from both teams will be ready for this Crosstown Classic series. Both teams are playing really good baseball to start the season, and this series is shaping up to be a really exciting one. The White Sox enter Friday’s contests having won five straight games.
Here’s what a few White Sox players said to reporters when asked about this upcoming series against the Cubs:
Sean Burke: “It’s awesome. I think we obviously have the rivalry going, and we want to be the best team in the city. Get another shot at them, with how we are playing right now, and they are having a good season, too. The weekend should be good.”
Colson Montgomery: “We are all fricking looking forward to it. We are all hyped up. They are a really good team. We know we are a really good team. It's going to be fun."
The White Sox will no doubt be going all out in this three-game series. They are fresh off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, are currently 8-4 in the month of May, and want to show Chicago who the best team in the city is.
However, the Cubs have dominated this series in recent years. They went 5-1 against the White Sox last season, swept all four games in 2024, and won three out of four games in 2023. The North Siders have won 12 of the last 14 meetings against the South Siders.
All that, though, won’t matter when the Cubs take the field against the White Sox on Friday evening. This is an improved White Sox team, and manager Craig Counsell acknowledged that in his afternoon appearance on 104.3 The Score on Thursday afternoon.
“They're playing really well, and it's kind of all over the roster," Counsell said. "But it feels like certainly their position player group, that's where it looks like a lot of progress has been made.
"It's a good lineup."
The first game of the Crosstown Classic begins on Friday at 6:40 p.m. CST at Rate Field. Edward Cabrera (3.88 ERA) will take the ball for the Cubs, and Sean Burke (3.68 ERA) will start for the White Sox.