On Sept. 29, the Chicago White Sox played their final game of the MLB season, beating the Detroit Tigers in a rare victory. This game marked the end of a 162-game marathon for the South Side.
This season, the White Sox were arguably the worst in modern baseball history, breaking the MLB record for the most losses in a season. Despite three consecutive victories against the Los Angeles Angels on Sept. 27 the White Sox lost against the Tigers, marking the 121st loss.
Since 1901, the beginning of the Modern Era in baseball, the MLB has fielded thousands of teams. In this 123-year period, only 22 teams have lost 110 games or more. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics had a 36-117 win-loss record and still hold the lowest winning percentage of .235 in MLB history.
With their 121st loss, the White Sox broke the record held by the 1962 New York Mets, who had a 40-120 record in their inaugural season. For 42 years, the Mets’ 120 losses stood as the record.
Although the 1916 Athletics had a lower winning percentage, the quantitative aggregate of losses is considered a more significant measure of how poor a team measures in a given season. At the very least, this White Sox team ranks among the three worst ever according to the Washington Post.
The team has had a slow downfall since 2021 when the White Sox won their division, the American League Central, and made the playoffs with a young core of rising stars. Going from a team that clinched their first division title since 2008 to possibly the worst team in baseball history in under three years is unusual, and fans are wondering what went wrong.
Heading into 2021, the White Sox had an exciting lineup, including Tim Anderson, a high-average-hitting shortstop; Louis Robert, a young center fielder regarded as MLB’s next superstar; Eloy Jimenez, an All-Star caliber power-hitting right fielder; and Jose Abreu, a veteran power-hitting first baseman who also was the reigning MVP of the MLB.
On the pitching side, the team featured its Ace, or number one pitcher, former National League player Lucas Giolito, and a core of young pitchers, including Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet.
This team performed as advertised in the regular season, winning over 90 games en route to a highly anticipated playoff berth. However, White Sox fans were disappointed by the team’s performance in the playoffs, as the Southsiders were swiftly eliminated in the first round. Nevertheless, the fan base was optimistic for the bright future.
To explain the White Sox’s collapse, it’s helpful to look at where their previous superstars are now. After a disappointing 2022 season in which the team missed the playoffs with an 81-81 record, Abreu signed a deal with the AL rival Houston Astros in the offseason.
Then, in 2023, a slow start to the season saw the White Sox become sellers at the trade deadline. Giolito was pitching at a far lower level than he had been when he was considered the Ace of the rotation in 2021, but as he would be a free agent the following offseason, the White Sox traded him to the Angels.
The 2023 team spiraled even further, finishing the year with an abysmal 61-101 record. In that offseason, the White Sox front office completed the teardown. Former All-Star Anderson was released after an incredibly rough 2023 season, during which he, according to MLB, slashed .245/.286/.296 with 18 doubles, one home run, 25 RBIs, 52 runs scored and 13 stolen bases in 123 games.
Additionally, Dylan Cease, who had a stellar season in 2022, going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA in 32 starts, according to ESPN, was traded to the San Diego Padres before opening day.
With the old core dismantled, it was unsurprising that both Kopech and Jimenez were traded this year. Robert, one of two remaining players of note from the White Sox’s playoff roster, suffered many injuries throughout his career and has yet to reach the hype the baseball world set for him.
Breakout pitcher Crochet is the final remaining player and arguably the only productive player on the team, according to Bleacher Report — who claims that he is one of the few members of the White Sox who came out of the season unscathed.
Overall, the 2024 Chicago White Sox have had a bad season. It’s hard to believe that the same team destined to make a World Series with an exciting young core is nothing short of the worst team in baseball history, only three years later.
The lowlights of the season, including collisions in the outfield where players have run into each other, have fans questioning the legitimacy of the franchise. There is belief that the White Sox will improve, as it’s almost impossible to get worse.
“[The White Sox’s Stadium] used to be my happy place,” says fan Tim Vanzo to NBC. “No matter how difficult work was, home life, whatever. Today I come in, and every step from the parking lot, it was more and more of a frown. Because I knew I was going to see an awful product.”
