The Chicago White Sox have seen enough. While they avoided the longest losing streak in MLB history by defeating the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, ending their 21-game loss streak, Chicago lost the next one.
On Thursday, the White Sox released a statement , announcing that manager Pedro Grifol has been fired, effective immediately.
Three-time All-Star Grady Sizemore has been named as the new White Sox manager on an interim basis. Once the regular season ends, the White Sox will name a permanent replacement, with Sizemore getting the first crack at the job.
With a win rate of just .239% entering MLB games today , the White Sox are currently on pace to finish with the worst record in MLB history. The team that holds the low mark now is the 1898 Cleveland Spiders. The fact that no other team has broken this mark in over 120 years just shows how bad the White Sox have been.
The worst record in White Sox history came in 1970 when Chicago finished with a 56-106 campaign. But that’s nothing compared to being 28-89 this season. After trading multiple players at the MLB trade deadline, Grifol faced long odds to improve the team’s record following the All-Star break. We’ll see if his interim replacement can create some sort of spark. Yet, this roster won’t improve any time soon. Not this year.
Grifol ends his White Sox tenure with a win percentage of .319 after leading a 61-101 record in his first season as a manager in 2023. After this outcome, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever receive another job as manager of an MLB team. But some would suggest it wasn’t entirely his fault. Obviously, Grifol isn’t the one stepping into the batter’s box or taking the pitching mound. Others will point the finger at White Sox GM Chris Getz for setting up his team to fail by not having a better roster.
Whatever the reason, the White Sox now have a lot of work to do to avoid the same fate next season, but this time, they’ll have a new manager in charge.
Recent speculation has suggested former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski could take over as Chicago’s manager next season. Chances are, the White Sox will cast a wide net in their managerial search, hoping to avoid another disastrous season in 2025.
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