The Chicago White Sox are on the verge of an ignominious milestone. The team stands on the brink of tying, or potentially breaking, the record for the most losses in a single MLB season, a mark set by the 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses. Unlike the Mets of that era, who had an excuse as an expansion team finding its footing, the White Sox have no such justification.
This season has been a cascade of disappointment for the White Sox, highlighted by struggles against familiar and unfamiliar foes alike. One factor contributing to their woes is last year’s change in the MLB schedule format, which reduced the number of intra-division games. Under the current system, teams now play every team from the other league annually. This shift has not been kind to the White Sox, who have been outmatched across the league.
The intra-division matchups tell a grim story. The Cleveland Guardians have had a dominant 8-5 record against the White Sox, culminating in a recent sweep to clinch the AL Central title. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals have been ruthless, logging staggering 12-1 records against the struggling team. For those two squads, this dominance has been pivotal in their wild-card pursuits, as the Royals and Twins hold the No. 5 and 7 seeds in the wild-card race, respectively.
The inconsistency of the White Sox across different matchups is stark. The Tigers, currently ahead of competitors such as the Mariners and Red Sox in the wild-card race, have maintained a commanding 9-1 record against the South Siders this season. Meanwhile, every National League team, with the exception of the Chicago Cubs, played a three-game series against the White Sox this year, and the results have been just as dismal. The Cubs particularly hammered the nail in the coffin by sweeping the four-game series decisively.
However, not all has been a washout. The White Sox have managed to eke out series victories against some stiff competition, including the Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals. The Braves, for instance, struggled against the White Sox, going 1-2 in a season series marred by rain. These flashes of skill, however, have been few and far between in a largely forgettable season.
The end of the season brings a small respite with a schedule against familiar opponents. The Tigers will play the White Sox in a three-game series at Comerica Park this weekend, entering with confidence after dominating the White Sox through nine of their previous ten encounters. Meanwhile, the Twins will face the Baltimore Orioles in their final regular-season series, and the Royals will go up against the Braves.
As the curtain falls on the White Sox’s disastrous season, there remain no justifications or excuses to mask the underperformance. From their abysmal record to the consistent domination by divisional peers, the narrative has been clear and unrelenting. For the organization, the focus will now shift to rebuilding and strategizing anew in the hopes of shaking off the stigma of this season and forging a path back to competitiveness.
The resilience and resourcefulness that the team will need in the off-season become the focal point as fans, analysts, and the baseball community wait to see how the Chicago White Sox will confront and move beyond one of the darkest chapters in their storied history.