White Sox fall to Tigers for MLB-record 121st loss of season

DETROIT — They could only avoid it for so long.

After a mini winning streak staved off history for a few days, the Chicago White Sox finally succumbed to their 121st loss of the year, the most by a team in a season in modern MLB history.

The record came in a 4-1 defeat by the  Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

“I think the frustration has been long before the number,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said afterward. “Again, I think it is one of those things where you are not happy, regardless, but I don’t know that I would feel any different if we were at 115 or 110. It’s still a frustrating year.”

In front of a sold-out Comerica crowd, the Tigers clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2014. Detroit won for the 39th time since the All-Star break, the same total the White Sox have for the entire season.

“Obviously, it sucks,” said  Garrett Crochet, who started for the White Sox and got a no-decision Friday. “We put ourselves in this position early on. We had a bad April. We just never dug ourselves out of that hole. We are where we are because of the way we played, which sucks.”

Chicago’s record losing season included a 21-game skid and two separate 14-game losing streaks. The White Sox began the year 1-9, and by May 1 they were 14.5 games out of first place with a minus-84 run differential. By June 1, they were 13.5 games out of fourth place in the AL Central.

“It’s been an extremely difficult year for everybody,” outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “It’s been hard mentally, hard physically. I feel bad for everybody in this room, to be a part of this. To see Detroit celebrating, that was us only four years ago. It’s frustrating. It doesn’t feel good.”

The White Sox’s fall has been precipitous. They won 93 games in 2021, as well as an AL Central division title — but then they began their slide.

In 2022, they finished with a .500 record, then followed with a 101-loss season last season. After getting off to a rough start this year, the team traded starter Erick Fedde, closer Michael Kopech and veteran hitter Tommy Pham in July.

Things only got worse. The White Sox lost their first 17 games after the All-Star break — part of that AL-record-tying 21-game skid.

“It doesn’t sit well with any of us,” Sheets said. “But unfortunately, it’s where we’re at right now. It’s everybody’s job in this room to make sure we move forward and never let this happen again.”

The White Sox tied the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a season last weekend when the Padres swept them, but they won their final three home games before their historic loss to the Tigers on Friday. Those wins were a ray of hope that perhaps the White Sox wouldn’t own the record outright, but they needed to sweep the Tigers to avoid that. It didn’t happen.

Sheets was asked how he felt when the final out was secured for Detroit.

“I didn’t know how I’d feel during it,” Sheets said. “This whole time, the difference in 120 and 121 isn’t a better season or more of a success. … Winning three in a row, we thought we could maybe do something special and ride it out and win six in a row, and you start to believe in that and think it’s maybe not going to happen.

“And all of a sudden, on the last out, you realize, you’re on the wrong side of history. It hurt a little more than I expected it to.”

Crochet struck out six in his final outing of the year, but relievers Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard gave up runs in the fifth and seventh innings to secure the 121st loss. Crochet was a bright spot for Chicago, finishing the season with the highest strikeout rate (12.9) per nine innings pitched of anyone in baseball. But his usage was limited due to being a first-year starter and the team simply didn’t have enough behind him.

The team also struggled at the plate. The White Sox rank last in runs scored and have the third-highest ERA in baseball. They also played poor fundamental baseball, leading to former manager Pedro Grifol being dismissed last month.

A somber clubhouse tried to find the positives in what has been a miserable season.

“Everybody in this room knows we’ll be together for a while,” Sheets said. “We’re a young group. It’s not like guys are looking on to the next phase of their career. Everybody is trying to come together and support each other in this room.

“Outside of this room, there’s not much support. So we come together and rely on our staff and coaches and everyone around us and support each other.”

Sizemore echoed Sheets’ message. The former Cleveland outfielder is in the running for the permanent job, but that was far from his mind after Friday’s loss.

“We’re just focused on ourselves and getting better, and we know we have a lot to improve on,” he said. “But I think we have the right guys and the right staff in place to get this thing turned around.”