The New York Mets took a 58-70 record into Chicago on Thursday and opened a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox, who arrived at 66-61 and in first place in the AL Central. New York came off a 5-1 homestand. Chicago came in trying to hold a division lead that was only 3.5 games over the Twins.
That is why the matchup mattered immediately. The Mets had just won two of three from the San Diego Padres, finishing with a 4-2 win on Wednesday after Benge hit a two-run homer to left field, and they had already gone through a stretch that showed how much better their road form has been against Chicago. The White Sox, meanwhile, had lost three of their last four entering the series, then dropped a 2-0 makeup game to the Braves on Thursday.
The numbers around the series have tilted New York's way for a while. The Mets won two of three when the clubs met at Citi Field in May 2025, swept the White Sox at Rate Field in summer 2024, and had won the last two series they played on the South Side of Chicago. Their seven-game road winning streak against Chicago reached back to the Mets' last loss there on June 25, 2013.
Benge was part of the recent push that helped New York arrive in Chicago with momentum. He threw out runners at home on back-to-back plays in Monday's 2-1 win over the Padres, with his second throw clocked at 103.9 mph, and A.J. Ewing also picked up an outfield assist in the second inning. Benge then homered Wednesday, a small but telling sign of how quickly he has turned around his season after starting at.179/.235/.263 with a 41 wRC+ through his first 29 games by May 2. Since then, he has hit.297/.359/.459 with a 130 wRC+ in 92 games.
Chicago's problem is not just the standings. The White Sox were trying to become the first MLB team ever to make the playoffs after back-to-back 100-loss years, a burden that hangs over every series while they try to protect the AL Central lead. Their offense has been the driver, with a 103 wRC+ and.726 OPS, and the club ranked third in the American League with 167 home runs. That gives them a real path, but also a narrow one.
The series already had the shape of a test before the first pitch: New York trying to keep rolling after a strong homestand, Chicago trying to stay in front and keep history from catching up to it. Three games decide the matchup, and by the end of them the White Sox will know whether their lead still looks like control or just a brief pause in a division race that can turn fast.
