The White Sox are bringing back their iconic blackout as postseason baseball returns to the South Side for the first time since 2021.
It's a staple of the Chicago White Sox and one of the most iconic postseason environments in baseball.
When playoff games are played on the South Side of Chicago, it's a blackout from White Sox fans.
We saw it in 2008 for the famous Game 163, when the White Sox took down the Minnesota Twins to secure the AL Central title and punch their ticket to the postseason.
13 years then went by without a home playoff game for the White Sox. But in 2021, Game 3 of the ALDS against the Houston Astros brought another blackout environment that commanded the attention of sports fans everywhere.
It was evidence of what happens when a starved, passionate and loyal fan base finally gets another opportunity to support its White Sox in October. The result was one of the most electric postseason atmospheres of the 2021 playoffs, with Leury García's go-ahead home run entering White Sox lore forever.
And now, the White Sox are back in the dance.
After advancing past the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series, Chicago is guaranteed to host playoff baseball for the first time in five years. And the White Sox are asking fans to bring back the iconic blackout.
Chicago's first home playoff game will be Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday, October 7. Should an additional game be needed in the series, Game 4 will take place Thursday, October 8.
If we're being honest, Major League Baseball did fans everywhere a disservice by failing to give the White Sox a prime-time slot for either of their home games.
First pitch for Game 3 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Central Time, with Game 4 set to begin at 4 p.m. Central Time. A night game is always ideal for a blackout in the stands, but there remains an outside chance that Game 4 in Chicago could be moved to prime time if the series between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays ends in a sweep.
Still, after we just saw the crowd in Houston fill only about half the stadium for a postseason series and boo its team in the early innings of a playoff game, White Sox fans are certain to remind the world what makes playoff baseball so special and what real fan support looks like.
The White Sox are one of the only organizations urging their fans to participate in a specific theme, and if the 2021 postseason is any indication, there should be rally towels awaiting every fan at their seat before the game.
The Guardians have the advantage when it comes to starting pitching. The White Sox have a deeper bullpen and a much better lineup. But if I had to guess where the real separating factor could be in this series, it's Chicago's ability to win at home in front of sellout crowds. That will be the epitome of October baseball.
Home-field advantage is real. So if the White Sox are able to steal a game in Cleveland and come back to Chicago with an opportunity to clinch the series, you better believe White Sox fans will deliver.
If you have tickets or are planning to purchase tickets to Game 3 or Game 4 of the ALDS, make sure you got the memo.
Good guys wear black this October.
