Six Pack of Stats: Royals 7, White Sox 1

picking up where we left off

Brooks Baldwin got his first major league hit, in his first major league at-bat.

That is about it.

This was the 27th game of one or fewer runs for the White Sox, 27% of their schedule. They are averaging 2.1 runs per game.

Top Play

With runners on the corners and one out in a 1-0 game, Andrew Benintendi worm-burned a 4-6-3 double-play grounder that killed the best rally of the game for Chicago. It was a 13.1% WPA swing from the White Sox to Royals.

Top Performer

Michael Wacha did not exactly pull rabbits out of a hat — it is the White Sox offense, after all — but in throwing seven innings of four-hit, one-walk ball with seven Ks, he piled up 30.5% WPA.

Hardest Hit

Bobby Witt Jr. murdered the baseball tonight, with two singles that ranked 1-2 among all exit velos and a home run that placed sixth. Tops was an RBI single to center in the third that sped away at 109.6 mph.

Weakest Contact

Luis Robert Jr. had the weakest non-bunt contact in the game, with a fourth inning ground out to first base at 42.7 mph.

Luckiest Hit

There were no true lucky safeties this game, as the lowest xBA of the game on a hit was .310, on Michael Massey’s single off of Chad Kuhl in the seventh.

Toughest Out

On the flip side, the top xBA in the game, .940 from Salvador Pérez, was caught for an warning-track out by Luis Robert Jr.

Longest Hit

Korey Lee went deep in the eighth for the only White Sox run, a 421-foot blast to left-center.

Futility Watch

White Sox 2024 Record 27-72, worst 99-game start in White Sox history (5 1⁄2 games worse than the next-worst, 1948 White Sox), tied for 14th-worst start all-time, and a season-worst 45 games under .500
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -183, tied for 41st-worst 99-game start in MLB history and a White Sox season-worst
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 44-118 (.273)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) 1 game better
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 3 games better
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 12 games worse
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 8 1⁄2 games worse
Race to the Worst American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 6 games better
*record adjusted to a 162-game season

Glossary

WPA win probability added measures contributions to the win
xBA expected batting average