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Chicago White Sox clinch AL Central title, second straight playoff appearance

CLEVELAND -- The Chicago White Sox have clinched the American League Central title by virtue of a 7-2 victory over the second-place Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

The White Sox (86-66) lead the Indians (74-77) by 11½ games ahead of Game 2 of their doubleheader Thursday night. It's the sixth division championship for the White Sox and first since 2008. They are the first MLB team to clinch a division this season and are making their first back-to-back postseason appearances in franchise history.

The decisive win came on the strength of four home runs, including two by All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson in the first two innings of the game.