The Chicago White Sox are having a 2024 MLB season to forget. A chaotic, tumultuous start for the North Side has turned historically bad. The Windy City's black and white-suited squad is now on the brink of clinching the most losses in modern-day MLB history. It's been a season of struggles but no one with the GM Chris Getz's rebuilding White Sox wants the unflattering distinction associated with their name.
Well, that's going to be tough to avoid now that a brutally honest post is going viral. The White Sox's social media team is not even bothering to use numbers in the final score reports anymore. Just a quick mention that the other team scored more runs. This after even owner Jerry Reisndorf felt the need to make a statement to White Sox fans.
The White Sox record is abysmal as they are now 45 games behind the Minnesota Twins, a divisional rival, for the final MLB AL Wild Card spot. Chicago has nine games remaining on the schedule after the latest defeat, a 4-3 affair against the Los Angeles Angels that went 13 innings.
It's a tough spot for a franchise looking to the city for a little stadium upgrade assistance. Legislatures seem to have doubts that ownership will make a championship-level investment into the club. This season has not been the best example to counter those claims.
White Sox suffer season to forget
Chicago should have seen this coming. Pitcher Davis Martin is just trying to laugh it off to keep from crying away the sorrows. Injuries, inconsistent play, and the introduction of an interim manager midway through the season are just a few of the talking down from a 162-game slog that turned sour.
“You have to have a sense of humor,” Martin said. “You walk that fine line of being on the edge of losing your mind — always on that razor's edge. We're just watching it all, and we're like, oh my gosh, this happens and this happens. Truly, it's so many things.”
The White Sox' record is ugly. They are already at 117 losses with nine games to play, already at a franchise record with a chance to match if not eclipse the 1962 New York Mets’ record of 120 losses in a single season. It's not like there is one big issue that needs solving this offseason either. Several factors have played a role in the White Sox’s struggles but at least Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. are future building blocks.
Firing manager Pedro Grifol and several coaching staff members in August was inevitable. It was also about the only viable option for a front office looking for a shakeup. However, nothing was going to help a roster that endured three double-digit losing streaks including a 21-game losing streak that tied an American League record.
The 2024 season will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the worst in Chicago White Sox history. However, with a focus on rebuilding and developing young talent, there is hope that the team can turn things around in the coming years. For now, White Sox fans can only look forward to better days ahead. Unfortunately, the next two weeks are tough.
Chicago's last three opponents are the San Diego Padres (86-66), Los Angeles Angels (62-90), and Detroit Tigers (79-73). The Padres and Tigers have plenty to play for while the Angels have beaten the White Sox twice in the last two days.