The 1997 Cleveland Indians finished at 86-75. That was a record that in many years wouldn’t qualify for a Wild Card let alone a division championship (the Tribe would learn this in 2000 and again in 2005). The White Sox chased the Tribe all summer long, getting as close as 3.5 games at the end of July.
Then came the famous “White flag trade”: Starting pitchers Wilson Alvarez and Danny Darwin PLUS closer Roberto Hernandez to the San Francisco Giants for six prospects on July 31. This started a most welcome downward spiral that ended with the White Sox finishing in second, six games behind the Indians.