(670 The Score) The White Sox are officially the losingest team in the modern era of baseball.
In falling 4-1 to the Tigers on Friday evening at Comerica Park, the White Sox suffered their 121st loss of the season, more than any team in MLB since 1901, which is considered the start of the modern era. The White Sox broke the record of the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120-1.
The White Sox’s loss dropped them to 39-121 and came in their 160th game of the season. They have two more games left to play against the Tigers and potentially extend their record for futility.
While the White Sox are the losingest team in MLB history by volume, their stunning sweep of the Angels earlier in the week ensured they won’t have the worst winning percentage in history. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics went 36-117, a .235 winning percentage that’s the worst in the modern era. The White Sox’s winning percentage currently sits at .244 and will end at .241 even if they lose their final two games.
The White Sox established their path toward unwanted history as soon as the 2024 season opened by getting off to an abysmal 3-22 start. They then suffered a 14-game losing streak in late May and early June. Their worst stretch came when they suffered a franchise-worst 21-game losing streak across July and into early August, an embarrassing run that cost manager Pedro Grifol his job as he was fired on Aug. 8.
That the White Sox’s bats were quiet in their record-breaking 121st loss was perhaps fitting, as the offense was their biggest weakness on the field in 2024. The White Sox entered Friday averaging 3.1 runs per game, which ranks dead last in MLB by a wide, wide margin. The second-worst mark in the league was 3.74.