CHICAGO () — The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs met Monday night at Wrigley Field with more than neighborhood bragging rights at stake. Both clubs entered the Crosstown Classic carrying postseason hopes, and as every October team knows, a playoff berth is enough to keep World Series dreams alive.
Fans from the North Side and South Side packed the ballpark with confidence, fueling a rivalry many said feels refreshed this year. The opener stretched into the 10th inning before the White Sox dropped a 7-5 decision to the Cubs.
Still, the White Sox had already claimed two of three games in the first Crosstown Classic matchup back in May. With both teams in the playoff mix, this three-game series carried a sharper edge than usual for Chicago baseball fans.
Outside Wrigley Field, the atmosphere reflected the best of the city’s baseball divide: passionate, competitive and, for many, a reminder of how the rivalry can bring Chicago together.
“It can get kind of intense, but this is, this is still a good time,” Cubs fan Kellie Foster said. “It’s a Chicago rivalry, so it’s always going to be a good time.”
Cubs fan Ron Viel said the annual showdown appears to have recaptured some of the buzz it once had.
“For a long time, the Cubs dominated, and then it kind of fell off the map, but I think it’s renewed,” Viel said.
There was plenty of reason for optimism on both sides. The White Sox came in leading their division, while the Cubs held the top spot in the Wild Card race.
“I think it adds to the atmosphere, adds to that Crosstown Classic rivalry of who’s going to win which games,” White Sox fan Sarah Hamilton said.
Another fan said the city feels different this season.
“Right now, this is a different feeling. The city has chemistry. The city has magic.”
The matchup drew fans from across the city, including couples and families divided by team loyalties.
Blake Platt and Faith Mason attended the game together despite supporting opposite teams. Mason, a Cubs fan, expressed confidence in her team’s chances.
“This is our first game together. So it’s exciting. They’re gonna lose in our territory,” Mason said.
Bridgeport residents Rita Estrada, a White Sox fan, and her Cubs-supporting husband described life in a divided baseball household.
“Lot of tension because I’m always telling him who’s going to win, you know, and he just never listens,” Estrada said with a laugh. “But we all know wives know best. Happy wife, happy life.”
When asked if he might end up sleeping on the couch, her husband replied: “No. I got the king-sized bed.” He then laughed.
For some fans, rooting for opposite teams has not affected long-standing friendships. White Sox fan Leticia Mara and Cubs fan Michelle Reyna Meyers have remained friends for three decades despite their baseball allegiances.
“She was diehard Sox and I was diehard Cubs and I was like oh Lord, how do we make this work. So, we just decided to have mutual respect,” Reyna Meyers said.
Fans also looked ahead to the possibility of both teams reaching the postseason. If that happens, it would be the first full season since 2008 that Chicago has had two baseball teams in the playoffs.
Many were already imagining another Crosstown Classic showdown in October.
“That would be amazing to see them in the World Series,” Cubs fan Scott Samhamel said. “That would just end the city.”
Sox fan Dale Richardson said, “That would be very special for the city, everybody around here.”
The demand for tickets was evident at Wrigley Field, where Cubs fan Frank Gambino secured a seat through the box office.
“Section 100-something for $100. Sold,” Gambino said.
Many fans acknowledged the competitiveness of the two clubs.
“I don’t know. It’s two good ball clubs. It’s gonna be close. Good game. Who pulls it out? Gotta go with my White Sox,” Sox fan Evan Bognar said.
Curt Rosenbaum and his son planned to attend the game with a large group of relatives. Rosenbaum said the teams’ success this season makes the rivalry even more meaningful.
“That’s what makes this game more special is both teams are playing well,” Rosenbaum said.
The Cubs and White Sox have met only once in the World Series, in 1906, when the White Sox won four games to two. 120 years later, fans are hoping for similar postseason magic.
