The 2024 Chicago White Sox have lost their 100th game of the season. They submitted to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, losing 9–4 to bring their record to 31–100. And there are 31 games left to play.
Chicago initially looked like it might avoid loss No. 100 on Sunday, taking a 2–0 lead in the first inning on RBI doubles by Andrew Benintendi and Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn added a home run in the third to give the Sox a 3–1 lead.
Then the Tigers roared back with a three-run fifth inning, later adding an Andy Ibáñez homer in the seventh and a two-run double by Colt Keith in the eighth.
Jonathan Cannon took the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits and walking four with four strikeouts.
This is the sixth time in franchise history that the White Sox have lost 100 games. It happened twice before MLB expanded in 1961, first in 1932 (49-102) and then in 1948 (51-101). Since 1961, it has happened four times: 1970 (56-106), 2018 (62-100), 2023 (61-101) and now 2024.
While the 2024 season has yet to be completed, the Sox need just six more losses to tie the record for worst team in franchise history (set in 1970) and seven to take the outright lead. With 31 games left to play this season, they have a legitimate chance to become the losingest team in modern MLB history, a record that is currently held by the 1962 New York Mets, who lost 120 games in their first year of existence.
The White Sox (31-100) are the first team since the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics to have 100 losses through the 131 games.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) August 25, 2024
Here are some “fun” facts about this 100-loss team:
This is the first time in franchise history that the White Sox have lost 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons. Before the White Sox lost 100 games in 2018, they hadn’t lost 100 games in more than 40 years.
Half of the White Sox’s 100-loss seasons have come under one owner: Jerry Reinsdorf. Since buying the team in 1981 for $13 million, Reinsdorf has seen three 100-loss seasons and another six with 90 or more losses.
This team had two long losing streaks and many shorter ones. The White Sox lost 14 straight games from May 22 through June 6, then lost 21 games from July 10 through Aug. 5. But they started the season with four consecutive losing streaks, each longer than the last. They lost the first four games of the season, then lost five straight, then six straight, then seven in a row. Each streak was separated by one victory.
Despite all those losses, this team swept the Tampa Bay Rays. That was a three-game sweep early in the season, and it marked the first of three times this season (so far) that the White Sox won three games in a row. They won four straight games, their longest winning streak of the season, May 8-11.
The 2024 White Sox are the fastest team to clinch a losing season (82 losses) since MLB expanded in 1961. The 1962 Mets are the gold standard of losing teams in modern MLB, and not even they were this bad. It took those Mets 111 games to rack up 82 losses; the 2024 White Sox needed 109 games.
