The Chicago Cubs are headed back to October. Chicago clinched its second consecutive postseason berth Thursday with a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, adding another major result to a dramatic final week of the 2026 MLB regular season.

Crow-Armstrong reaches 40-40 as Cubs clinch

Pete Crow-Armstrong stole his 40th base in the win, pairing it with 45 home runs to reach the 40-homer, 40-steal milestone. The achievement arrived on the same afternoon the Cubs secured their playoff place.

Chicago’s scoring came from Seiya Suzuki, who tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth inning, and Nico Hoerner, whose RBI single in the sixth brought home Ian Happ for the go-ahead run. Starter Matthew Boyd delivered seven innings of one-run baseball to help protect the lead.

Both sides of Chicago are going to October

The Cubs were not the only Chicago club celebrating. The White Sox clinched an American League playoff berth Thursday with a 9-1 win over Kansas City. It is only the fourth season in which both Chicago MLB clubs have reached the postseason, following 1906, 2008 and 2020.

The White Sox turnaround is especially notable. They reached the postseason after three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including their 121-loss 2024 campaign. The Cubs, meanwhile, are returning to the playoffs for a second straight year.

The seeding race is not finished

Clinching removes one question for the Cubs, but their National League wild-card seed and opening-round matchup are still unsettled. Across MLB, several division and wild-card races remain active as the regular season reaches its final games.

That makes the closing weekend meaningful even for clubs that have already secured postseason baseball. Chicago can celebrate the berth now, but positioning for October is still on the line.

Sources

Reporting for this story was verified against ESPN’s September 24 Cubs and MLB playoff coverage and Reuters’ game report.