The Chicago White Sox set a new franchise record for losses on Sunday, falling 2-0 to the New York Mets.
This defeat marks their 107th loss of the 2024 season, surpassing their previous record of 106 losses set in 1970.
The White Sox’s loss on Sunday was their 40th in their last 44 games, equaling the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics as the second modern-era team to experience such a severe losing stretch, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
Additionally, the White Sox have now lost 10 consecutive games, becoming the fourth team in the expansion era (since 1961) to endure three double-digit losing streaks in a single season, and the first since 1965, as noted by MLB Network Gameday. Earlier in the season, the team endured losing streaks of 14 and 21 games.
There was an initial glimmer of hope at Guaranteed Rate Field when White Sox starter Garrett Crochet tied a franchise and American League record with seven consecutive strikeouts to start the game. However, the game took a turn in the fourth inning when Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run, which turned out to be the winning run. The Mets added an insurance run in the ninth inning with a Starling Marte RBI double.
The White Sox managed only two hits and five total baserunners against three Mets pitchers, striking out nine times.
“There’s not really a perspective to put into it at this point,” Crochet said postgame, according to Andrew Seligman of The Associated Press. “It sucks to say that we’ve been here before and we’ve dug ourselves out of it with a win. We just continue to come to the field every day fighting and playing a good brand of baseball.”
With a record of 31-106, the White Sox are on track to finish the season with 126 losses, which would break the modern-era record of 120 losses set by the 1962 Mets. To avoid tying this record, the White Sox need to finish the season 12-12. Their current winning percentage of .225 is the lowest posted by any team since 1901 and is 10 points worse than the 1916 Athletics’ modern-era record.
The White Sox are 47.5 games out of first place, marking the greatest deficit from the top of the standings since 1934, when they finished 47 games behind first place in an eight-team league.
