The 2024 Chicago White Sox have made historical past, but it surely's not the good type.
They misplaced their 120th recreation of the season on Sunday, tying the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a single season since the modern period of baseball started in 1900. With six video games left in the common season, it is greater than doubtless that the Sox will set a brand new record in the coming days.
The White Sox now personal the record for many losses by an American League staff, passing the 2023 Detroit Tigers' 119 defeats.
For the White Sox, it was a loss very similar to the 119 others they've skilled this 12 months, although it was nearer than some — they fell to the San Diego Padres 4-2.
The White Sox can have an opportunity to interrupt the record on Tuesday at residence in opposition to the Los Angeles Angels.
First let's speak about the staff the White Sox simply tied. The 1962 Mets have been a brand-new staff, having come into existence as an growth franchise after the Brooklyn Dodgers pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants left for San Francisco. Expansion groups draft gamers from different groups' rosters, so they don't seem to be anticipated to be good instantly. The Mets have been particularly dangerous, however badness at some stage was anticipated.
The White Sox have existed in Chicago since 1900. Jerry Reinsdorf has owned the franchise since 1981. They misplaced 101 video games in 2023, then fired their normal supervisor and promoted farm director Chris Getz to the place. With the farm director changing the GM, there was some hope that the on-field product may enhance or a minimum of not worsen. Badness was anticipated, however definitely not at this historic stage.
In a season crammed with indignities, the previous two months have been particularly tough on the South Side. Here's an summary of what has occurred to the White Sox since Aug. 1.
Monumental shedding streak. They misplaced 21 straight video games, one loss shy of the all-time American League record.
Manager fired. The day after they snapped their shedding streak, Getz and Reinsdorf fired embattled supervisor Pedro Grifol, who racked up a stunning 89-190 record in lower than two seasons at the helm. The White Sox have been 28-89 when he was fired.
Incredibly early elimination. The White Sox have been eradicated from playoff rivalry on Aug. 17, the earliest any staff has been eradicated since the introduction of divisional play in 1969.
Lost 100 video games for third time in six years. The White Sox reached 100 losses on Aug. 25, the sixth time in franchise historical past that the staff has misplaced that many regular-season video games.
Tied franchise loss record on Sept 1. The record for losses in a White Sox season was 106, set in 1970. The 2024 staff tied that record with a full month left in the common season.
Received sympathy from surviving members of 1962 Mets. Three members of that notorious 1962 Mets staff publicly expressed sympathy for the 2024 White Sox, together with pitchers Craig Anderson (who went 3-17 in 1962) and Jay Hook (who went 8-19). Late first baseman Ed Kranepool additionally felt dangerous however had a barely totally different take: “Better them than me.”
Jerry Reinsdorf “thinks he knows everything,” accused of main White Sox to damage. The Athletic spoke to more than 40 current and former White Sox employees, and the prevailing opinion was that Reinsdorf, along with his general refusal to modernize and settle for different opinions, is responsible for the 2024 White Sox's traditionally terrible season.
With only one extra loss between them and historical past, the 2024 White Sox are about to tread on uncharted territory. Once they set the MLB loss record, they are going the place no modern baseball staff has ever gone earlier than. It's lonely on the market on the frontier of historical past.
