The White Sox avoided an American League record-breaking 22-game losing streak with a 5-1 defeat of the Oakland A' s on Tuesday night. The ballclub matched the infamous 21-game AL losing record set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1988 after also losing 5-1 to the Oakland A's in the first of a three-game series.
The Sox started their attack in the top of the fourth when Andrew Benintendi hit a 267-foot home run with a man on base to open a 2-0 league. The A's responded in the bottom of the same inning after Zach Gelof homered to left field.
Chicago's bats, as long as a wild pitch in the sixth inning, helped the White Sox score two more runs, giving them a convincing 4-1 lead. Benintendi scored the last run of the game after Sosa singled to center to bring his teammate home.
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Chicago faced six straight sweeps against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Royals again, and Minnesota Twins, all contributing to tying the record. The White Sox's lone run in the record-tying game came when Benintendi singled to center field, bringing in first baseman Andrew Vaughn after his double to left field in the fourth inning.
Chicago, like Oakland, managed just four hits in the first game of the series, but the A's got a boost from backup leadoff hitter Lawrence Butler, who smacked his 13th home run of the season in the 6th inning. The White Sox have had five seasons in MLB history where they have lost over 100 games [1932, 1948, 1970, 2018, 2023]. Their worst year came in 1970, when they finished with 56 wins and 106 losses, a 34 percent winning rate.
Baseball fans immediately took to social media to express their disbelief at just how bad the White Sox are this season as they approached the record.. Last season, critics considered the A's as one of the worst teams eve r, following their league-worst finish with a record of 50-112. But, the White Sox's record-breaking losing streak and overall performance have drawn comparisons and amplified criticisms.
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One fan wrote, "I'm sorry, but the White Sox haven't gotten nearly enough hate. People were jumping down the A's throats with the 'Worst team ever' articles in May of last year, and they didn't finish close to that. But now it's August, and the White Sox have the worst winning percentage since 1900."
Fans also joked about Miguel Vargas, who was traded to Chicago from the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers on trade deadline day. Cameras flashed to Vargas in the record-tying game as he sat on the bench, looking visibly unhappy. This led to tweets like, "There should be financial compensation for being traded to the White Sox," and, "That trade is something I would only wish on my worst enemy."
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