Chicago White Sox Extend Their Losing Streak to 20 Games
It was yet another disheartening day for the Chicago White Sox, culminating in a 13-7 defeat against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. However, this particular loss carried a weight of historical significance. The White Sox’s defeat marked their 20th consecutive loss, a grim milestone that thrust the franchise into the national spotlight. The last time a team lost 20 games in a row was the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who endured a 21-game losing streak.
In Chicago, the White Sox have become synonymous with losing, but 20 losses in a row is a new level of futility. The team’s struggles have shifted focus from merely losing to the possibility of breaking the 1962 Mets’ modern-day record of 120 losses. In fact, they are now on track to potentially eclipse the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies’ record of 23 consecutive defeats.
Infamy, thy name is White Sox.
On NBC Sports Chicago’s candid postgame show, host Chuck Garfien delivered a litany of disheartening statistics. “Twentieth loss in a row, 40 games back, 1-12 against Minnesota,” he recounted. “I could go all day on this, 1-12 against Kansas City …” Suddenly, Frank Thomas, the greatest player in franchise history and a regular co-host, interjected. Known for his attention to detail, he emphasized the stark reality of their situation.
“Sixty games under .500,” he stated, correcting Garfien’s previous miscalculation. With the loss, the White Sox fell to 27-87. Garfien, realizing his error, dramatically slammed his papers on the floor, exclaiming, “They’re 60 games under .500!”
GO DEEPER: Chicago White Sox reach new level of futility, extend losing streak to 20 games.
Ozzie Guillen, the team’s World Series-winning manager and Garfien’s co-host, pointed out a recent statistic: even if you disregard the Sox’s two franchise-record losing streaks, they would still have the worst record in baseball. It’s one thing to be the worst team in a single season, but when compounded with a 14-game losing streak and now a 20-game losing streak, the White Sox are becoming contenders for the title of the worst baseball team in modern history—a true laughingstock.
The 1962 Mets were an expansion team filled with whimsy, featuring characters like Marvelous Marv Throneberry and managed by the colorful Casey Stengel. Their infamous season produced classics such as Jimmy Breslin’s “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?” Seven years later, the Mets would rise from the ashes to become world champions. In contrast, the White Sox, established in 1901, now face a grim reality with their franchise record for losses set at 106; they’re on track to break that record before Labor Day.
It’s been a long and disappointing fall from grace for a team that was expected to compete for championships. Just two years ago, the Sox achieved 93 wins and claimed the AL Central title, but that success feels like a distant memory now. The previous season’s 101 losses were thought to be rock bottom, leading Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to make a surprising move by firing the long-standing front-office team of Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn. Reinsdorf promised a swift turnaround with new general manager Chris Getz at the helm, but his credibility with fans has waned over the years.
For inexplicable reasons—primarily financial considerations—the team retained manager Pedro Grifol, whose record stands at a dismal 88-188. Grifol has been a dead man walking for most of the season, and as the trade deadline passed, speculation about his job security intensified. It almost seems cruel that Getz and Reinsdorf have yet to relieve Grifol of his duties. Perhaps they are waiting for a victory to grant him an honorable exit.
“That means Pedro is 100 games under .500 since he got the job,” Guillen remarked, eliciting laughter from the panel. Guillen, who led the Sox to their World Series triumph in 2005, expressed that he’s been feeling more anger and sadness than usual. He humorously added, “I don’t think I was that bad a manager, but they picked Pedro in front of me.”
After Tony La Russa stepped down due to health issues in 2022, Guillen received a token interview for the vacant position—one he had previously held. Guillen has long desired to reclaim that role, but the previous administration was not interested in bringing him back.
“I swear to God on this, when Rick Hahn called me and said I don’t have the job, he said, ‘We found the next Ozzie Guillen,’” he recounted, highlighting the irony of the situation.
While Hahn’s intention was to compliment Grifol, Guillen, who enjoyed a .524 winning percentage in his eight seasons as manager, finds little solace in the comparison now. Many fans are clamoring for Guillen to replace Grifol if and when the team decides to make a change, but it’s hard to imagine why he would want to take on such a daunting challenge. Anyone on Grifol’s staff would likely feel the same way; there’s no desire to be the face of this struggling franchise.
In what could be his final days as manager, Grifol recently took time to praise the team’s owner. “I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again,” he stated, as reported by the Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. “This gets taken out of context and somehow it gets turned around over and over again, how people want to perceive it. Jerry’s a winner, OK? He’s an absolute winner. He’s a competitor. No, he’s not content. Who is?”
It’s interesting how definitions of success and winning can vary, especially in a perennial losing organization. The Bulls have been under .500 since their actual winner, Michael Jordan, retired in 1998. The Sox have only reached the postseason seven times during Reinsdorf’s 44 years as owner, and their 2005 playoff run remains the only time they won a series. The years 2020 and 2021 mark the only occasions the team made the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Grifol, however, is playing to an audience of one, even as his own future hangs in the balance. If the Sox get swept in Oakland this week, they could match the 1961 Phillies’ record at home against the Cubs on Friday. The atmosphere at that game will likely be a mix of somber reflection and uproarious ridicule.
It’s difficult to envision Grifol occupying the top step of the dugout for that game. How could you have him face the fans and press in such a dire situation? It would be an insult to the intelligence of loyal supporters to keep him in place at that juncture.
This is a troubling predicament for everyone involved, but the blame does not rest solely on Grifol; he is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. GO DEEPER: What we learned from this MLB trade deadline and the execs who drove the market.
While Getz has focused on strengthening the farm system, he attempted to enhance a lackluster fielding team from last year to make the major-league product more appealing. However, his efforts have been met with public criticism, and the core players who consistently struggle with injuries have, once again, found themselves sidelined early in the season. The starting pitching has been a bright spot, at least, and Getz and his team have made strides in improving the organization’s pitching outlook.
Losing can sometimes facilitate a front office’s ability to enhance an organization, sometimes rather quickly. This was the blueprint after the 2016 season, and it worked until it didn’t. However, in his inaugural trade deadline, Getz’s moves faced widespread backlash, and new baseball rules now limit the Sox to a 10th pick in the upcoming draft.
Financial constraints loom large, as the Sox are experiencing another decline in attendance, and their television broadcasts, once considered a highlight, are now regarded as among the worst in baseball. The team’s partnership with NBC Sports Chicago is nearing its end, and a new regional sports network, in collaboration with the Bulls and Blackhawks, will launch this fall.
The road to respectability appears long and arduous. At least the team’s pre- and postgame shows remain a source of unfiltered honesty and critique. As the White Sox continue their downward spiral, they have honed their skills in losing, and they now may be poised to become the best at doing it.
(Photo of Nicky Lopez reacting to Sunday’s loss: David Berding / Getty Images)
