There was no love lost between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs during the Crosstown Classic over the weekend. And that goes for both the players on the field and the fans in the stands.

After all the anticipation and excitement for the Sox and Cubs to meet with both teams above .500, the games completely lived up to expectations.

The White Sox outscored the Cubs 22-21 over the weekend series, taking two out of three games after prevailing in an extra-inning shootout thanks to the unlikely heroics of Tristan Peters and Edgar Quero.

Sunday afternoon's game will go down as an instant classic in the history of the Crosstown series. But the entire series was packed with action. The two teams hit a combined 14 home runs in three games, and according to Cubs outfielder Michael Conforto, Rate Field "felt like a playoff atmosphere."

For White Sox fans, this series felt like a litmus test. This team proved itself not just by winning the series, but by going toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in baseball and answering the bell to overcome adversity.

And if you need any more evidence that this version of the White Sox is legit, just ask Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

He may not be their best player, but PCA is the face of the Chicago Cubs. And it is inarguable that he is the biggest star in Chicago baseball right now from a marketability and national media point of view. It is for that very reason that Crow-Armstrong has become generally disliked by White Sox fans.

PCA is one of those athletes who will be adored by his own fan base, but especially loathed by outsiders.

That showed itself on Sunday afternoon when Crow-Armstrong got into a verbal altercation with a White Sox fan in the middle of the game following a game-tying double by Miguel Vargas.

But even PCA looks at this White Sox team and has to appreciate the style of play they bring to the ballpark every day. And even he is willing to acknowledge that this is a good team that just finds ways to win.

"I feel like I can relate to a lot of those guys. I appreciate how a lot of them play," Crow-Armstrong said of the White Sox following the series. "It’s a good ballclub and they’re playing good baseball. It’s good for the city that they’ve got two good teams going and having a lot of success this year."

It's only natural for people around Major League Baseball to continue doubting the White Sox. They lost 100 games every season from 2023 through 2025, and the expectations weren't particularly high heading into 2026. But once you play this team, it becomes undeniable that they've got something special going on right now.

Everybody finds a way to contribute, and that play style Pete Crow-Armstrong appreciates is a general scrappiness that helps the White Sox gain an advantage in the margins. They're not afraid to bunt. They're not afraid to steal a base. They're not afraid to play unselfishly and put their own statistics aside to help the team. They'll lay out to make plays in the field and sacrifice their bodies to record an out.

It's all the things that PCA brings to the Cubs, but the White Sox have it up and down the roster. And it's helped them establish a clubhouse culture that's contagious to the 26 guys within it and anyone who bears witness to it.

It was a statement weekend for the White Sox. Not only did they beat the Cubs in a series for the first time since 2022, but they're continuing to make it known across the baseball landscape that this team means business. And if they can keep this momentum rolling, who knows where they could be a few months from now?