Episode 9: White Sox vs. Astros - An Extremely Biased Playoff Preview

October baseball is here, and somehow Daniel's Chicago White Sox are once again matched up with the Houston Astros. For a lifelong Sox fan who lives in Houston, this is pretty much the one playoff matchup he never wants to see. 😂 The history is there — the 2005 World Series, the 2021 ALDS and now another postseason meeting in 2026. In this special playoff edition of Playbook Optional, Daniel give Astros fans an admittedly biased scouting report on a young White Sox team that few expected to be playing October baseball. Chicago brings plenty of power and an offense capable of putting runs on the board, but there are serious questions about the starting rotation, bullpen management and whether a roster loaded with rookies is ready for the postseason stage. Daniel also explains why his game plan for Yordan Alvarez is incredibly simple: Don't pitch to him. Ever. Plus, there's the story of the last time these teams met in the playoffs — when Daniel was covering the series for KHOU 11 and decided he was better off watching the games from his car instead of the press box because he couldn't trust himself to hide his White Sox fandom. He knows the Astros have the postseason experience. He knows Houston has been a nightmare matchup for Chicago. And he knows he may regret saying this very soon. But he's riding with his guys. #PlaybookOptional #WhiteSox #Astros #MLBPlayoffs #Postseason #MLB #ChicagoWhiteSox #Chicago #HoustonSports #houstonsportstalk