White Sox make history
They have lost their 121st game in 2024.
The Chicago White Sox now have the dubious distinction of having lost the most games in a modern Major League Baseball season. Jerry Reinsdorf's club wrapped their 2024 season with 121 losses, beating the 1962 Mets for the new MLB record (those Mets, in their first year as a franchise, went 40-120-1).
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134, but sweeping changes happened shortly thereafter, leading to the founding of the American League in 1901 to team with the National League and start what is generally referred to as the modern era of MLB.
No team in the modern era has ever lost as many games as these White Sox.
Further, the White Sox's .248 winning percentage is also, unsurprisingly, historically bad. Here's a deeper look at their futility, by the numbers.
Here's the new "leaderboard" in that particular category going back to 1900 (the modern era is typically pegged at 1903, when the National and American Leagues first joined forces).
T1. 2024 Chicago White Sox: 121
T1. 1962 New York Mets: 120
3. 2003 Detroit Tigers: 119
4. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 117
T5. 2018 Baltimore Orioles: 115
T5. 1935 Boston Braves: 115
As you can see, the White Sox are indeed in rarefied air -- and not in a good way.
The mark for most losses in a season on record belongs to the aforementioned 1899 Spiders, who clocked 134 defeats in just 154 games. While on some level no depths should be considered beyond the reach of the current ChiSox model, the Spiders' 19th century figure is indeed safe.
Now let's move on to winning percentage. As noted above, the Sox in '24 have a current winning percentage of just .253. It's not quite as simple as looking at loss totals and assuming the winning percentages follow perfect suit. The fact that Major League Baseball used to play 154-game schedules contaminates the sample just a bit. So let's lay out those worst winning percentages of the modern era (i.e. since 1900).
1. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: .235 (36-117)
2. 1935 Boston Braves: .248 (38-115)
3. 1962 New York Mets: .250 (40-120)
4. 1904 Washington Senators: .252 (38-113)
5. 2024 Chicago White Sox: .253 (41-121)
This record, belonging to Connie Mack's 1916 Athletics, is safe. As for those Spiders, they notched a winning percentage of .130 (!) back in 1899, which, again, is safely out of reach for the White Sox.
And what of run differential? The White Sox on the year were out-scored by the opposition by a whopping margin of 306 runs. Incredibly, that doesn't even rank in the top (bottom?) five. Here's a look at the worst since 1900:
1. 1932 Boston Red Sox: minus-345
2. 1915 Philadelphia Athletics: minus-344
3. 2023 Oakland Athletics: minus-339
4. 2003 Detroit Tigers: minus-337
5. 2019 Detroit Tigers: minus-333
Let's again take a moment for the conclave of baseball miracles that was the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who managed a run differential of minus-723 (!!).
They have lost their 121st game in 2024.
The White Sox are on fire. For the second time this month, they have won three games in a row. This time, they took down the Angels, 7-0, on the shoulders of Chris Flexen's outstanding start (6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K) and a 7-run fifth inning. That inning included seven hits, a walk and an error. It was all they would need to put them one away. The win here means the White Sox swept the Angels, marking just their second sweep of the season (they also swept the Rays at home April 26-28).
September has been the best month for this White Sox team, believe it or not. They are now 8-14 in the month. Their previous best months were both May and June at 9-19 each.
The White Sox remain tied with the 1962 Mets for the modern record of losses in a season at 120. They'll have three games left to avoid the dubious distinction of holding the record all on their own and those come in Detroit against perhaps the hottest team in baseball in the Tigers.
The White Sox eked out a win at home over the Angels on Wednesday night. Chicago prevailed in 10 innings on Andrew Benintendi's walk-off single:
That's a 4-3 winner, and pushes the White Sox to 38-120 on the season. That means they remain tied with the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a season since 1900. They now have four games left to break that record.
The White Sox scored a come-from-behind victory on Tuesday against the Angels, their first this season when trailing after seven innings, to avoid what would have been their record-setting 121st loss of the year.
The White Sox can make history on Tuesday night. The wrong kind of history, sure, but still history. The White Sox can lose their 121st game of the season on Tuesday, which would set the modern MLB record.
The White Sox are hosting the Angels this week on the South Side of Chicago. First pitch of their series opener was pushed back until 8:45 p.m. ET because of a rain delay.
The White Sox fell to the Padres, 6-2, Saturday night in San Diego. The Sox threatened in a big way in the eighth inning, cutting the Padres' lead to 4-2 while the bases were loaded with one out. Padres reliever Tanner Scott induced a double play, however, to end the threat and then Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to effectively seal the game for the home team.
The White Sox are now 36-119. They tie the 2003 Tigers for the second-most losses in a season and are now just one loss away from tying the 1962 Mets for the dubious MLB record. The White Sox have seven games left, so the likelihood of not just tying the '62 Mets but becoming the record holder for the most losses in a season in MLB history is very high.
The White Sox dropped Friday's game against the Padres in extras to fall to 36-118 on the year. Chicago has eight games remaining this year, including two more versus the Padres. They'll require six wins to avoid tying the modern record for losses in a single season. That indignity currently belongs to the expansion 1962 Mets.
This one took 13 innings. The Angels tied Wednesday's game in the bottom of the 8th inning, the two teams traded runs in the 10th and 11th, then the Halos walked it off in the 13th on a Jordyn Adams single. Here's the walk-off hit:
At 36-117, the White Sox are on pace to lose 124 games. They must go 7-2 in their final nine games to avoid 120 losses, which would match the 1962 expansion Mets for the most in the Modern Era (single 1901). Chicago will play their final three series against the Padres, Angels, and Tigers.
The Chicago White were blanked by the Angels 5-0 on Tuesday night in Anaheim for their 116th loss of the 2024 season. At 36-116, the White Sox have 10 games left in the regular season. If they lose four of those, they'll tie the modern MLB record held by the 1962 New York Mets of 120 losses in a season. If those five of their remaining 10, the White Sox will break that record. Already, they've racked up the fourth-most losses in a season since 1900.
The Angels came into this one having lost six in a row, and the White Sox were angling to tie their season-high win streak of four. Those trends didn't hold, though, as Chicago was shut out for 19th time this season, tied for fourth-most shutouts in a season since 2000.
As the late, great Mel Allen would say, "how about that?" The Chicago White Sox, who sported a 33-115 record before Saturday's action, have now won three straight to run their record to 36-115. They took down the Angels Monday night in Anaheim, 8-4.
Andrew Benintendi starred for the offense in this one, homering twice with four RBI. The White Sox actually scored six runs in the first two innings and had a 7-1 lead through three after putting the hurt on Angels starter Reid Detmers. White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon allowed only three hits in 6 2/3 innings to get the win.
The three-game winning streak brings the White Sox to within one of their season high -- believe it or not, they won four in a row from May 8-11 -- and is their first three-gamer since June 27-29.
The White Sox now have 11 games left and can avoid tying the 1962 Mets' record of 120 losses by going 7-4. It seems like an incredibly tall order for this bunch, but most of us wouldn't have thought they'd string three wins together.
The White Sox won again on Sunday, beating the A's 4-3 thanks to a two-run home run by Gavin Sheets. That marks the first time Chicago has recorded consecutive wins since late June, when they took one game from the Braves on June 27 and the first two of a three-game series against the Rockies on June 28-29. The White Sox now have 35 wins, with 12 games left to play.
For the 34th time this season -- against 115 losses -- the Chicago White Sox have won.
It was a roller coaster and, really, we wouldn't have it any other way with this team in its wins. The White Sox took a 6-3 lead to the ninth, but then the A's roared back to tie it, 6-6. Andrew Benintendi hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Sox a 7-6 win.
The White Sox move to 3-9 in September and 7-44 since the All-Star break. They are now 19-58 at home, as this game broke a 16-game home losing streak. Their last home win was that 12-2 romp of the Yankees on Aug. 12.
They now have 13 games left. In order to avoid the 1962 Mets' record of 120 losses, the White Sox need to go 9-4.
Friday night's loss to the Athletics dropped the White Sox to an unfathomable 33-115 on the season. Chicago had six hits in the game, all singles. It was the 18th time the White Sox were shut out this year. No other team has been shut out more than 15 times.
The 2024 White Sox are the sixth team in the Modern Era (since 1901) to lose 115 games in a season. Here are the others:
1. 1962 Mets: 40-120
2. 2003 Tigers: 43-119
3. 1916 Athletics: 36-117
4. 1935 Braves: 38-115
5. 2018 Orioles: 47-115
6. 2024 Orioles: 33-115
The ChiSox must go 10-4 in their final 14 games to avoid becoming the second 120-loss team in the Modern Era.
Minutes after the White Sox dropped their 114th game of the year, owner Jerry Reinsdorf acknowledged the team's embarrassing output, saying in a statement that "everyone in this organization is extremely unhappy with the results of this season."
The White Sox lost again on Tuesday night, this time 5-0 to the Guardians (box score). It marked the 17th time this season the White Sox have been shut out. Cleveland starter Ben Lively exited following two innings after being struck by a comebacker, yet six Guardians relievers combind for seven shutout innings to close out the game.
The White Sox have 16 games remaining. They're on pace to go 37-125, shattering the single-season record for most losses in a season. That record is currently held by the expansion 1962 Mets, who went 40-120-1.
Another loss Monday, this time a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Guardians. Cleveland rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the ChiSox, but Andrew Benintendi broke it up with a two-out single to right. Bryan Ramos hit his first MLB home run an inning later.
Mercifully, the White Sox have 17 games remaining. They are on pace for 125 losses, which would shatter the single-season loss record held by the 1962 expansion Mets (40-120-1).
Chris Flexen held the Red Sox to just two runs over six innings and the bullpen did the rest of the work to lead the White Sox to a 7-2 win, their second in four games. Luis Robert, who somewhat controversially was not traded at the deadline, went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored and Dominic Fletcher hit a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth, the beginning of a five-run inning. That marks Chicago's 33th win of the year.
The White Sox dropped Saturday's contest to the Red Sox by a 7-5 final (box score), bringing their record to 32-111 on the year. They're now nine losses away from tying the modern MLB record for the most in a single season. That record, of course, is currently held by the 1962 New York Mets. Those Mets lost 120 games in their first season as a big-league team.
The White Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Saturday night, but quickly fell behind by a 4-2 margin after one. They eventually trailed by a 7-2 margin before rallying for three runs in the seventh inning to close the gap on an Andrew Benintendi home run.
The White Sox will now try to avoid loss No. 112 on Sunday.
The Chicago White Sox on Friday night fell to the Boston Red Sox 3-1 at Fenway Park for their 110th loss of the season. At 32-110 for the year, they need to lose 10 of their remaining 20 games to tie the modern MLB record for losses in a season. That record belongs to the 1962 New York Mets, who went 42-120 in their inaugural season. By the same token, the White Sox need to go 9-11 the rest of the way to break that modern record.
In Friday's loss, the White Sox got a strong start from right-hander Davis Martin, who allowed only one run in six innings of work with three strikeouts and a walk. With the score tied 1-1 in the seventh, though, Boston shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer off reliever Matt Foster to give the Red Sox the lead:
The Boston bullpen was able to protect that lead and ensure loss No. 110 for the South Siders. The White Sox are now 5-39 in the second half of the season.
The White Sox will "go" for loss No. 111 back in Boston on Saturday.
The White Sox have won another baseball game. It was in convincing fashion against another AL East power, if you can believe that. They beat the Yankees 12-1 a few weeks ago and this time around the final count was 8-1 over the Orioles. Nicky Lopez and Dominic Fletcher each homered for the first time this season while Andrew Vaughn hit his 16th. Good work on the mound came from starter Jonathan Cannon and a trio of relievers.
The White Sox have snapped a 12-game losing streak. They move to 5-38 since the All-Star break and 14-55 on the road. They sit at 32-109 overall.
In order to avoid trying the 1962 Mets for the most losses ever, the White Sox need to go 11-10 the rest of the way.
The White Sox lost their 12th game in a row on Tuesday night, getting shut out by the Orioles 9-0. They are now 31-109 through 140 games.
The White Sox were down immediately against the O's and things went from bad to worse in the bottom of the second inning when two players collided while trying to catch a pop up with two outs and the bases loaded. Three runs scored on what went down as an error on Miguel Vargas. The play summed up the White Sox's season. O's broadcaster Kevin Brown had the perfect way to describe it. "Oh my goodness," Brown said on the call, the White Sox have just gone full White Sox."
A word of advice: Never go Full White Sox.
The White Sox, unsurprisingly, have the longest losing streak in Major League Baseball this season at 21 games. They also have the second-longest skid, as they lost 14 games between May 22 and June 6. And well.... now they also own the third-longest streak.
The White Sox have a current 11-game losing streak and have dropped all the way to 31-108. No other MLB team has lost more than 10 games in a row this season. The White Sox have done it three times.
They'll try to snap the skid on Tuesday against the Orioles.