Are Chicago White Sox on track to become the worst team in MLB history with a 120-loss season?
BALTIMORE – They are making an effort. But that doesn’t make it any easier.
Becoming the team with the most losses in major league baseball history is not a goal anyone aspires to achieve, yet it’s a mark that the Chicago White Sox will likely reach in the coming weeks. It’s important to note that they have genuinely attempted to avoid this fate.
The struggle has been between losing resolve and the harsh realities on the field, and it’s clear which side has triumphed.
Their hopes of competing effectively came to an end after suffering 22 losses in their first 25 games. They were officially eliminated from the playoffs on August 17, a date more typically associated with summer aspirations than impending autumn realities.
Any semblance of stability was disrupted when they fired manager Pedro Grifol on August 8 after he led the team to a dismal 28-89 record. Interim manager Grady Sizemore then took over, but he has only managed to collect a 3-20 record with a roster significantly weakened by trades.
Currently, the White Sox hold a record of 31-109, having lost 48 of their last 55 games and an unimaginable 4-38 since the All-Star break. They’ve also been outscored by over 300 runs. They are on course to break the 1962 Mets’ record of 120 losses unless they flip the script and win 11 of their final 22 games. Thus, the team’s collective struggle has morphed into individual battles for survival.
This rings especially true for Chris Flexen, who now holds the heartbreaking record of being the losing pitcher on the losingest team in modern history.
“The most important thing is that I can look in the mirror and see that I’ve been consistent with my routine. Every game, I step on the mound ready to give my best,” says Flexen, who made a modern major league record debut when the White Sox lost their 20th straight game while he started.
“Often, just that mindset is half the battle. The key is to never surrender the fight even when you’re struggling.”
However, night after night, the odds are stacked against them.
The White Sox rank last in the American League with a 4.90 ERA, they also lead in walks allowed, walk rate, OPS (.615), runs scored, and home runs given up. Each game vividly reflects these statistical struggles on the field.
On Tuesday night, the White Sox pitchers made the game difficult for themselves by loading the bases in four out of the first five innings against the Baltimore Orioles. They allowed 16 baserunners before recording just 15 outs, resulting in a 9-0 loss, following a combined score of 22-3 over two games against a top-ranking team.
This marked loss number 109, and it’s highly likely that another defeat was just around the corner. The White Sox are trying to push away feelings of despair; however, these feelings are clearer to those who have left the South Side.
“It’s tough because sometimes you lack motivation,” says Orioles outfielder Eloy Jiménez, who was traded from Chicago to Baltimore on July 30. “Even when you try to rally the team – ‘We can’t lose today’ – it remains a challenge. I genuinely want things to improve for them next season. That was the team I grew up with. It used to be a competitive team.
“But the last two years have been challenging. I hope they find their way back next season.”
However, the remnants of this disappointing season are hard to shake off. On Tuesday, Sizemore experienced his first ejection as a first-time manager, a moment quickly joined by veteran outfielder Andrew Benintendi being tossed as well.
The White Sox watched three runs score when third baseman Miguel Vargas – obtained from the Dodgers at the trade deadline – collided with Benintendi after he called for the ball on a fly ball from Jiménez. This resulted in three runs crossing home plate. Just three innings later, another pop-up landed between three fielders in the same area.
Such events are enough to make even a new manager wish for a quick exit.
“We just need the right calls to be made,” Sizemore, who never faced ejection during his 10-year playing career, shares. “Decisions were being made incorrectly for both teams. I understand that when games get out of hand, things can get chaotic. But our players are still hitting. They are giving their all.”
As the season transitions from 31-108 to 31-109, the struggles linger.
‘Most days, it doesn’t seem real’
Sizemore likely would find it even more difficult to endure this dismal season had he seen it coming. Just last year, he wasn’t even employed in baseball until his former teammate Josh Barfield recommended him for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office.
With the team at their staff limit set by the league, the only position available was a $15-per-hour internship with GM Mike Hazen. Sizemore, now 41, accepted the role.
This opportunity led him back into baseball, where he eventually followed Barfield, who took a job as assistant GM in Chicago, to the White Sox coaching staff this spring. By early August, he found himself in the manager’s role.
“Most days, it’s surreal. It feels like a dream, like I’m living an unreal experience,” says Sizemore, a three-time All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians known for his remarkable season with 33 home runs and 38 steals in 2008. “It has been an enjoyable journey. I’m grateful for everything that has come with it – collaborating with the players and coaching staff, competing every night, and trying to make the best of it while having fun.”
“I felt nothing at all; I was completely unsure of what to think. At that moment, it seemed like either a dream or a prank.”
His career, which ended in 2015 at the age of 32 due to injuries—especially microfracture knee surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2012 and 2013 seasons—was marked by dynamic play. However, his current players have fond memories of him, and his calm personality appears well-suited for the challenges he faces now.
“He’s a person we all hold in high regard,” states veteran pitcher Chad Kuhl. “Everyone respects his career and who he is as a person. That respect translates into his current role. He hasn’t changed; transitioning into this position has gone smoothly.”
Managing, Sizemore believes, offers him “the closest feeling you can get to being back on the field without actually playing,” somewhat satisfying his desire to compete.
However, on August 7, he was thrust into a tricky situation with a historically underperforming team that had just lost many key players at the trade deadline a week earlier. The wins and losses would now directly reflect on him.
He felt compelled to project the idea that this was a fresh start, even if the team was essentially the same—or arguably worse—than the one that had recorded a 28-89 record up until that point.
“I aimed to convey the most positive message possible,” he reflects on his early days as manager. “I told them this was a chance to reset and put everything behind us, starting from today. Instead of fixating on outcomes, we should focus on the process and improve each day. It’s about playing together, having fun, and embracing the usual clichés you hear during tough times.”
“You can still go out there and compete and have fun against the top teams in the league. We won’t just give up every night.”
Everything Comes Crashing Down
This is particularly challenging when viewed from a wider perspective—the franchise has long been in decline. There’s a prevailing industry sentiment that owner Jerry Reinsdorf stuck by club president Ken Williams and GM Rick Hahn for too long, and the current situation on the field is a manifestation of that.
It’s quite shocking to note that just three years ago, this team boasted a 93-win season and captured the AL Central title. The pitching lineup alone featured seven All-Stars—Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodón, Reynaldo Lopez, Garrett Crochet, and Liam Hendriks.
However, as the team faltered in the latter half of the 2022 season, finishing 81-81, and then plummeted to a dismal 101 losses in 2023, all those pitchers—except for Crochet, who’s likely to be traded in the upcoming offseason—are no longer with the team.
Two years of defeats—and the trading of stars like Cease—have bolstered the farm system, which is now ranked eighth by Baseball America. Still, questions linger about the club’s player development skills, especially with top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery not progressing past Class AAA.
Instead of a complete overhaul, Reinsdorf chose to promote first-year GM Chris Getz from within the organization. Any potential trade involving Crochet will be scrutinized following Getz’s earlier deal of Cease in March, which brought in pitching prospect Drew Thorpe.
This situation doesn’t bode well for the current group as they strive to avoid disgrace. This season, the White Sox have fielded a record-breaking 60 players, surpassing last year’s record of 56, and their open auditions have shown little improvement. In Tuesday’s game, they marked the fourth occasion since August 4 that they issued nine walks in a single game, as starter Nick Nastrini fell to 0-7.
Yet, some statistics hint at misfortune playing a role.
Take Chris Flexen, for example. His 5.36 ERA would rank as the second-highest in the league if he had pitched three more innings to qualify for the ERA title. Despite this, he is a reliable veteran starter who deserves better, particularly during a streak from June to July when he maintained a 3.64 ERA across five starts, all of which were quality starts.
Unfortunately for him, the team lost every one of those outings.
Of course they did. They also lead the majors with 31 blown saves and they have suffered 42 losses in games where they scored first. However, there are no blameless parties in this clubhouse, and this might oddly result in stronger team unity than expected.
“Whether it’s a close game or a blowout, we show up each day prepared to compete and work hard. I think that’s been the key—keeping our spirits up,” says Flexen. “It’s not that the talent isn’t there, but we try to push through all the distractions and put our best efforts forward to keep competing and supporting each other.”
“It fosters a sense of unity. Everyone is facing challenges, right? So we’re all in this together. The more we support one another and play competitive baseball, the better chance we have of turning things around.”
Then there’s Travis Jankowski.
On August 28, with the White Sox down 4-3 against the Texas Rangers and one out in the ninth inning, Andrew Vaughn belted a pitch deep to left field at Guaranteed Rate Park. It seemed like it would be a dramatic end to a five-game losing streak—until Jankowski, standing at 6’2″, stretched over the fence to bring the ball back, executing a catch he described as a “once-in-a-lifetime play.”
For the White Sox, it marked their 103rd loss and their sixth consecutive defeat, extending a troubling active losing streak to twelve games. This added to their earlier losing streaks of 21 and 14 games this season.
“Nothing compares to that,” Flexen states. “On the other side, it was an incredible catch. But for us, it’s incredibly frustrating to be so close to securing a win, only to have a three-run homer taken away from us.”
And so it continues. The White Sox have 22 games remaining in the season, after which further adjustments and trades are anticipated, along with some minor free-agent signings, as the team appears years away from being competitive again. Sizemore’s future as a manager also remains uncertain, although he believes that simply returning to the game is a victory in itself.
For now, the focus is on navigating through these final games, which hold little importance—except for avoiding a record-breaking losing season.
“I’ve been part of last-place teams. I’ve also been part of first-place teams,”
“I’ve experienced similar situations to what these individuals are facing; everything they are going through is something I can truly understand,” Sizemore states. “This shared experience allows me to connect with them deeply.
“What I love about this game is that there’s always another day. The season is long and demanding, but there’s always a reason to fight. Improvement comes from teamwork and having each other’s backs.”