On the final Friday of the MLB season, the Chicago White Sox set the single-season losing record with a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
With the White Sox sitting at 120 losses, the team needed a sweep over the Tigers to avoid being etched into baseball’s history books. However, the loss on Friday made an unbreakable record breakable.
The loss was the team’s 121st of the season, breaking the record previously held by the New York Mets in 1962, who had one fewer. The White Sox started the season 1-9 and never recovered as they went on a 21-game losing skid and two 14-game streaks during the season.
The White Sox have gotten worse quickly. Three years ago, the team had won the American League Central. While they had been eliminated in the American League Division Series, it was supposed to be the beginning of a new era on Chicago’s South Side. However, the team began to regress as they finished 81-81 the next season before losing 101 games in 2023.
After the slow start the team experienced this season, they traded starting pitcher Erik Fedde, closer Michael Kopech, and outfielder Tommy Pham. Despite the beginnings of a youth movement, things kept getting worse as they continued to find ways to lose.
On the final day of the season, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement that was shared on the team’s X which described the season as completely unacceptable and stressed that the team will fix their underlying issues for future campaigns. Reinsdorf went on to publicly show his faith in general manager Chris Gertz and the work Gertz has put into the team’s managerial search. The statement went on to highlight the bright future the White Sox have, something that not many fans will believe in given their steep decline over the past three years.
While Reinsdorf’s letter was meant to indicate optimism for the future of the White Sox, the fanbase will need to see this for themselves during the offseason as the team enters a long winter. After all, actions speak louder than words and the season’s actions of the White Sox have been painful to watch.
White Sox fall to Tigers for MLB-record 121st loss of season – ESPN
