Very occasionally, the Chicago White Sox give fans a brief glimpse of what could have been.
Whether it's a combined no-hitter through seven innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, five runs posted in a single inning against the Los Angeles Angels, or Luis Robert Jr. launching eight homers just in May, the White Sox love to give a good teaser of what a great team looks like. Unfortunately for fans, a teaser tends to be all it is.
When the White Sox won the AL Central in 2021 with the best record in the league (93-69), expectations were set. Even when they were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series of the playoffs, fans were ready for the next season's comeback, and the team's front office was only too happy to encourage the hype. 2022 would be the year of the White Sox, and World Series contention was inevitable.
Well, in case you missed it, 2022 was very much the year of the White Sox, and the idea of World Series contention quickly became the punchline of every Chicago-related joke.