Rick Hahn welcomes Cubs fans to White Sox bandwagon as they close in on AL Central crown

The White Sox are 75-55 and own a 10-game lead in the AL Central.
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CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- The White Sox bandwagon is open for all, regardless of what team you usually cheer for.

Even Cubs fans are welcome to the party, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said.

"We are open for anyone to come in and root for the White Sox," Hahn said. "We think there are a lot of fun times to be had watching this squad, not only over the next few months but the next few years. It would be a shame for anyone to miss out. Welcome aboard."

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The White Sox are 75-55 after earning a 17-13 win over the Cubs on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Hahn and company have a lot to be proud of with a 10-game lead in the AL Central and just 32 games left to play.

"We have yet to accomplish our first goal from spring training," Hahn said. "That was to win our division. So that is not wrapped up yet. We want to continue to play hard and stay focused over the next six weeks until we at least accomplish that goal. Rosters expand Wednesday, which will allow (White Sox manager Tony La Russa) and the staff an opportunity for guys to get proper rest and got lined up for October. That is after we take care of job one, winning the division."

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In recent weeks, the White Sox activated outfielder Eloy Jimenez and outfielder Luis Robert from the injured list. On Friday, they also reinstated catcher Yasmani Grandal from the injured list, and he announced his return with two home runs and eight RBIs in the win over the Cubs.

Now healthy for the first time since spring training, the White Sox boast one of the most formidable lineups in baseball.

"If you would have told me at the start of the spring this would be the path, it would have seemed extraordinary daunting," Hahn said. "The fact that we sit where we sit and it hasn't been until ( Friday) that we really had a vast majority of out lineup in place is a very nice testament to (our organization) plugging the holes that occurred over the last several months.

"We take a lot of pride knowing that we've had eight of our own first-round draft picks contribute at various points during the season. That doesn't include guys like Gavin Sheets and Yermin Mercedes doing what they have done to help us win. That is a real feather in the cap of the amateur scouting department and the player development department. Then we were able to add guys like Brian Goodwin and Billy Hamilton and Jake Lamb after the start of Opening Day. Those guys played important roles and gave us a nice boost. That is a testament to our pro scouts.

"If you told me this would be the path, I would have thought it would be extremely daunting, but as I look back in retrospect I could not be more proud of how the organization as a whole responded to the challenge."

The White Sox returned to their home ballpark Friday after finishing a 14-game stretch against American League contenders at 7-7.

"This was a tough stretch," Hahn said. "We knew that going in when we looked at the schedule that it would be against difficult opponents, also in difficult places to play. We were still getting guys healthy and went through a portion of it without Tim Anderson. It was a challenge. Going 7-7 was perfectly understandable and a fine result. Dog days of August are called that for a reason."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports