The White Sox’s Historic Struggles: A Season to Forget
It’s been a grueling year for the Chicago White Sox, a season marred by unprecedented struggles that have left fans and analysts alike shaking their heads in disbelief. With just 31 wins against 108 losses through 139 games, the White Sox are experiencing one of the worst seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. The statistics are staggering, painting a bleak picture of a team in disarray.
Let’s delve into some of the most shocking stats from this season. To start, the White Sox have endured the three longest losing streaks in the MLB this year. These streaks include a jaw-dropping 21-game skid, a 14-game drought, and their current 11-game losing streak. If you were to erase these 45 losses from their record, the White Sox’s winning percentage would still be a woeful .333, the worst in baseball. This puts them in a grim race with the Colorado Rockies, who are currently the second-worst team with a .370 winning percentage.
In the American League Central, where the White Sox reside, the team’s woes are even more glaring. The division’s other four teams—Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Detroit Tigers—are a combined 45 games over .500. In stark contrast, the White Sox are an astonishing 77 games under .500. This puts the entire AL Central 38 games under .500, showcasing just how dire the situation is in the South Side of Chicago.
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Historically, the White Sox's performance this season is comparable to some of the worst teams ever seen in MLB. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders, often cited as the worst team in baseball history, finished with a record of 20-134. Remarkably, they did not lose their 108th game until September 7, whereas the White Sox reached that low on September 2. Moreover, the White Sox's current total of 31 wins is a number that many individual pitchers have surpassed in single seasons throughout baseball history.
The team’s pitching staff, particularly Chris Flexen, has been struggling mightily. Flexen has now lost 20 consecutive games that he has started, marking the longest such streak since 1900. Despite performing relatively well in several of those starts, the team failed to secure a win, leaving Flexen with an 0-11 record and a 5.73 ERA over his last 21 appearances.
Offensively, the White Sox are equally uninspiring. They sit at the bottom of the league in on-base percentage, slugging, and home runs. Their OPS, a measure of a team’s offensive production, is the lowest in MLB by more than 50 points. They have scored 97 fewer runs than any other team and are near the bottom in batting average.
Defensively and on the mound, the White Sox’s numbers are just as disheartening. They rank 29th in ERA, WHIP, earned runs allowed, and opponents' batting average. Their run differential is a dismal -301, dangerously close to the worst mark in modern baseball history.
The team has had only one notable winning streak of four games from May 8 to May 11, which highlights how rare success has been this season. With three winless homestands and a recent 0-10 stretch, the White Sox's performance mirrors the struggles of the 1962 New York Mets and the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, both known for their historic ineptitude.
In sum, the White Sox’s 2024 season is shaping up to be one of the most disheartening in MLB history. The stats are not just numbers—they tell the story of a team grappling with a profound and multifaceted crisis. For fans, this season will be one to forget, but for analysts and historians, it will provide ample material for discussion for years to come.
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