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Today’s newsletter is 1,094 words — a 4-minute read.

The White Sox wasted little time punching their ticket to the divisional round with back-to-back wins over the Houston Astros, while the Cubs' season sputtered to an end with a quick exit in San Diego.

Why it matters: Dreams of a crosstown World Series are dashed.

The big picture: For the White Sox, they flat-out dominated the Astros, leading in all 18 innings of the series.

• Manager Will Venable masterfully worked the bullpen — and on-again, off-again starter Eric Fedde — to shut down the AL West champs.
• Chase Meidroth played hero with a clutch three-run homer in the sixth inning to seal the win for the South Siders.

Zoom in: The Sox are on a historic run after losing 100 games each of the three previous seasons.

By the numbers: The Sox waited 21 years between playoff series wins. Their last one came against these same Astros, when they swept Houston to win the 2005 World Series.

• Since that championship, the Sox have made the playoffs just three times (2008, 2020 and 2021), losing their opening series each time.

What's next: The Sox head to Cleveland for Game 1 of the best-of-five ALDS on Saturday. They'll play at least one game at Rate Field on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing end for the Cubs, whose bats went ice cold at the worst possible moment in back-to-back losses to the Padres in San Diego.

• They lost last night 4-1 and were outscored 12-1 in the series.

State of play: The Cubs struggled down the stretch and surrendered their home-field advantage in the Wild Card round, ultimately leaving Wrigley Field without playoff baseball.

Zoom out: The loss leaves a sour taste after last year's playoff run, with Cubs fans hoping offseason moves and an MVP-caliber season from Pete Crow-Armstrong would propel them deeper into the postseason.

The bottom line: October belongs to the South Side now.

Illinois may need to up our tipping game.

Driving the news: The Land of Lincoln trails behind all its Midwest neighbors in tipping, according to new Toast data shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: So-called "tip fatigue" is fueling a broader rethink of tipping culture, even as average tips haven't changed much over the past two years.

Zoom in: The average in Illinois is 18.8%, while Indiana is 20.4%.

State of play: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and supporters have tried to bump up tipped workers' $12.96 minimum wage, but that's on pause until at least 2030.

• That's when City Council passed a bill to freeze the subminimum wage to give restaurants time to adjust to the change.

Between the lines: Our readers overwhelmingly support raising servers' base pay to $16.60, based on a survey we conducted last April.

By the numbers: Nationwide, diners tipped roughly 19% on average across all restaurant types in Q2 2026 — essentially the same as in Q1, per Toast's latest tipping trends report.

• Tips at full-service restaurants also held steady around 19%, while fast food tips remained near 16%.
• Takeout tips hovered around 14%.

Zoom out: Delaware, West Virginia and New Hampshire are home to America's top tippers, with diners leaving around 21% on average.

• California, Washington, D.C., and Washington are the worst, where averages run under 18%.

The fine print: The report is based on data from restaurants using the Toast platform.

• Cash tips aren't included.

The bottom line: Not all diners tip the same — and more restaurants may take it off the table entirely.

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Oak Brook police said imaging technology and license plate readers helped officers quickly identify suspects in yesterday's shooting at Oakbrook Center that killed one person and injured another. (WGN-TV)

🪧 CPS has canceled several freshman and JV football games this week after referees went on strike. The refs say they haven't been paid. (Sun-Times)

⛹🏽‍♂️ The jersey Michael Jordan wore for his final championship run has sold for $12.3 million, a record for an NBA game-worn jersey. (Crain's)

🏈 Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon has officially entered the 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve. Gordon has been sidelined since training camp. (CBS Sports)

A societal spotlight on extreme thinness is stripping body diversity from screens, just as fashion magazines did in the early aughts, mental health experts tell Axios.

The big picture: Fake content creators are introducing unattainable, AI-generated body images that prey on human nature and exacerbate the struggle for many to reach self-acceptance for their bodies.

• When shrunken celebrities "become the ideal ... because of their status, then the virtual influencers are going to be emulating that," Katy Bruchmann, who leads Santa Clara University's Social Cognition and Comparison Lab, says.

Driving the news: Some are posing as influencers selling wellness products or services, while others are sharing body transitions or beauty advice.

• Axios reviewed dozens of social media posts that include clear AI-generated body transformations or fitness influencers, while online sleuths have uncovered content that appears fake.

Zoom in: Some were labeled as AI. Many were not. But research from Brooke Bennett, the director of the Body Image, Eating, Access, and Media Lab at Clemson University, and her colleagues found that it essentially doesn't matter.

• Even when people know the image they're viewing is AI, it still hurts their body satisfaction.

Follow the money: Tech and media companies have flooded the zone with a host of cyber stars that are accessible and low-cost.

• "You can hire an AI influencer for cheap, and they can be in Brazil tonight selling a beverage, and in Tokyo tomorrow selling a T-shirt," Bruchmann says.

Reality check: Zoë Bisbing, founding director of Body-Positive Therapy NYC, tells Axios that body diversity (yes, real bodies) is still online.

• "It's true — the thin ideal is getting thinner," she says. "At the same time, it's not hard to find size diversity on the street, at the beach and [in] your algorithm."

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Edited by Larry Graham.

✈️ Justin is back in Chicago! Hide your valuables! Atlanta was a blast, especially getting to hang out with Axios colleagues from around the country.

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