How low can the Chicago White Sox go?
So far they’re in some pretty infamous company.
Chicago’s 6-3 loss to Seattle on Sunday was the team’s 14th in a row, dropping the White Sox to 27-81 on the season. That’s a winning percentage of .250 — exactly what the 1962 New York Mets had when they set the modern record for losses by going 40-120.
In fact, those Mets were actually ahead of these White Sox through 108 games. New York was 29-79 at this point. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, who hold the modern record for the worst winning percentage (.235) after going 36-117, started 23-85 before improving ever so slightly down the stretch.
Chicago’s run differential isn’t quite as bad as its record. The White Sox have been outscored by 218 runs so far, easily the worst mark in baseball. But that’s not as bad as last year’s Oakland A’s, who were at minus-259 after 108 games with a record of 30-78. Oakland ultimately avoided threatening the 1962 Mets, finishing 50-112.
This year’s White Sox lost 22 of their first 25 games, and after a 14-game skid — yes, they’ve had more than one of those — they were 15-48 in early June. For about a month after that, they played well enough that it appeared they were safe from the 120-loss mark, but now it’s back in play. Especially if Chicago trades Erick Fedde or Garrett Crochet, two starting pitchers who have actually been pretty good this year.
To lose this many games takes some bad luck in addition to poor play. The 1962 Mets played more one-run games than any team in the National League, and they went 19-39 in those. The White Sox are 8-22 in one-run games this year.
If there’s one player who is emblematic of Chicago’s struggles, it might be right-hander Mike Soroka, who has battled through injuries in recent years but had a chance for a fresh start after being traded to the White Sox. His time in the rotation lasted just over a month, and after being moved to the bullpen, Soroka is now 0-10 with a 5.23 ERA. Even more remarkably, the White Sox are 1-21 in games he’s pitched in.
Only three pitchers in the modern era have finished a season with no wins and double-digit losses: Russ Miller of the 1928 Philadelphia Phillies and Steve Gerkin of the 1945 Philadelphia A’s went 0-12, and Terry Felton of the 1982 Minnesota Twins went 0-13.
TRIVIA TIME
Which pitcher led the 1962 Mets in losses, then years later won a National League pennant as a manager?
LINE OF THE WEEK
Miami’s Xavier Edwards hit for the cycle Sunday in a 6-2 loss to Milwaukee. Included in that feat was Edwards’ first career home run.
The Marlins did not have a player hit for the cycle in their first 30 seasons of existence, but they’ve now had two do it since the start of the 2023 season. Luis Arraez pulled it off last year against Philadelphia.
COMEBACK OF THE WEEK
The Houston Astros have recovered from their poor start, and they now lead the AL West. On Saturday night, they trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in the sixth inning before rallying. Houston scored four runs in the sixth, and after a run in the eighth put the Dodgers up 6-4, Houston tied the game in the bottom of that inning. Finally, Alex Bregman gave the Astros a 7-6 victory with a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Los Angeles’ win probability peaked at 96.4% in the sixth, according to Baseball Savant.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Roger Craig went 10-24 in 1962 for the Mets. He managed the 1989 San Francisco Giants to the World Series.
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