White Sox beat Royals to clinch first playoff berth in 5 years, complete turnaround after 3 straight 100-loss seasons

"That's the only way to be," Teel said, per MLB.com . "That's how winning teams are."

Two years removed from losing a franchise-worst 121 games, the White Sox are a winning team. They proved that again Thursday, emphatically so while clinching their first playoff berth in five seasons .

Teel clubbed a 424-foot solo shot to right-center field in the fourth inning. That home run increased Chicago 's already commanding lead to 7-0. Scoring runs every which way, the upstart White Sox kept their foot on the gas and punched their ticket to the postseason with a convincing 9-1 victory at Kansas City 's Kauffman Stadium.