The comparison between the 2024 Chicago White Sox and the 1962 New York Mets, acknowledged for their historic losing streaks, eventually turned out to be a misjudgment. The astonishingly poor performance of the current year’s White Sox, with a 33-114 record, surpassed the ’62 Mets, compelling a comparison with an even more infamous team, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders who concluded their season with a 20-134 record. The White Sox stands out for its 81 games under the .500 mark, an embarrassing statistic that even the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Tigers did not achieve.
In the history of American Baseball, only a few teams have plummeted, exceeding 81 game losses. These include the 1916 Athletics, the 1899 Spiders, the 1890 Alleghenys and the 1889 Colonels. Interestingly, only the ’99 Spiders fell into such a depth so early in September as the 2024 White Sox did. If the White Sox continues this trend, they might break the historic failure record set by these teams.
The dismal track record of the White Sox transcends beyond their overall performance and manifests starkly at their home ground. The team has had just one victory from their last 28 games at home, paralleling the horrendous home run by the 1916 Athletics. Also, their poor performance in the second half of the season is alarming. With a 6-43 record, the White Sox are threatening the unenviable record of the 1943 Athletics’ 15 victories in the second half of the season.
The performance of the White Sox starting pitchers presents another concerning aspect. Their record is 2-30 in the second half of the season, strikingly close to the worst in history, the 7-35 by the 2022 National’s rotation. Showcasing an unsuccessful effort to save face, the White Sox’s relievers record a shocking 3-17 in save situations, with more home runs conceded than saves converted.
Among other disconcerting facts about the White Sox’s season is their failure to start a winning pitcher in over a month. Also, they have lost the first game each month from April through September. Furthermore, as of September 13, the team had won only 33 games. In contrast, the Guardians reached their 33rd victory as early as May 22.
These alarming statistics and records indicate that hopes for the White Sox fans seeing their team win another series in the near future are minimal. As disheartening as it may be, it aptly summarizes the team’s performance this season thus far. As a matter of fact, the Loyola of Chicago’s centenarian icon, Sister Jean, who has been a fervent White Sox fan, saw the team win a postseason series only once in her lifetime. Unfortunately, given the team’s performance, chances to witness another series win in the foreseeable future seem bleak for Sister Jean, and for all White Sox fans.
