September 24, 2024.
A day that could go down in White Sox infamy.
With a record of 36-120, the Sox host the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field Tuesday night, two days removed from a 4-2 loss against the San Diego Padres (the 27th loss suffered after taking a lead into the seventh inning) that tied them with the 1962 Mets for the humiliating record of most losses in a season by a team since 1900.
A sixth straight loss Tuesday would be their 121st, a shocking number avoidable only with six wins in the six games left on the schedule.
This day has been seen coming for weeks, even months, while the Sox lost at unrelenting clips beginning with a 7-21 start to the season and continuing with losing streaks of 14, 12 and 21, the latter tying the American League record.
A national audience is paying attention now, with print and online media preparing headlines and TV networks having crawlers ready to roll at the bottoms of their screens.
Tying the Mets, an expansion team in ’62, delivered a low blow of its own Sunday. Sox players and interim manager Grady Sizemore, all said and done, have graciously faced the music.
Many players sat at their lockers at Petco Park Sunday, prepared to answer questions, if wanted.
“I guess when you lose 120 it’s easier to brush it off, but it [stinks] to go through it,” left fielder Andrew Benintendi, the Sox’ best hitter during the second half, said. “But that’s where we’re at.”
The Sox take a five-game losing streak into Tuesday’s game, the possibility of finishing with an 11-game skid unlikely but not out of the question – not for this team — although facing the 63-93 Angels doesn’t hurt their chances of avoiding another double-digit skein.
That said, the Sox lost two of three to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., last week. That came after they won three in a row against the Athletics and Angels.
“When we won three in a row there was an excitement of ‘this is what it feels like to win,’ ’’ first baseman-outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “And you start to expect it again.
“Instead of ‘how are we going to lose this’ it was ‘how are we going to win this game.’ ’’
That feeling lasted all of three days.
“That’s the biggest thing we need to overcome this season,” Sheets said.
Excitement as described by Sheets and the Sox have been unmade matches, connecting only for rare occasions. Before that three-game winning streak, the Sox hadn’t won two in a row since June 28-29. They’ve had winning streaks of two or more games seven times all season, the longest at four games in early May.
It has taken large chunks out of everyone, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf including himself in the group two weeks ago when he issued a statement after a 6-4 loss to the Guardians on a Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“This year has been very painful for all, especially our fans,” Reinsdorf said.
And for the players?
“A baseball season is always a physical grind,” Sheets said, “but this season is more mentally challenging than ever before.”
That the Sox will likely break the record at home will be fitting. They’re 20-58 at home where the had a franchise record 16-game home losing streak and have drawn 1,329,026 fans. They’re averaging 17,039 fans, their lowest in 25 years.
Whether some fans turn out to possibly witness history on a September school night when they otherwise would not have remains to be seen. But Sox fans by and large, while expressing disdain for ownership and management and feeling depressed going through a Sheets-described mental grind in their own right, have also become apathetic.
It’s been a tough year on everyone.
“Very sad,” said third baseman Miguel Vargas, who was traded from the Dodgers, one of baseball’s crown jewel franchises, after the Sox tied the Mets record.
Vargas, who is batting .122/.231/.200 in 35 games, had two hits including a homer against Yu Darvish and a stolen base Sunday. He also misjudged a foul pop-up for the second time in weeks.
“We don’t want that,” he said. “Nobody wants that. It happened, now we have to think about what is going on next.”
Jonathan Cannon (4-10, 4.61), who earned a save to stop a 14-game losing streak and wins to stop 12- and 21-game streaks, starts for the Sox Tuesday.
NOTE: The Sox claimed right-hander Ron Marinaccio off waivers from the Yankees and optioned him to Double-A Birmingham. Marinaccio, 29, owned a 2.04 ERA in 35 relief appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and 3.86 ERA in 16 relief appearances with the Yankees.