The 2003 Detroit Tigers, 1962 New York Mets and 1899 Cleveland Spiders. Those were the only three teams in MLB history to lose 100 games before the calendar flipped to September until the Chicago White Sox added its name to the list.
On Sunday the White Sox became just the fourth team in MLB history to reach triple-digit losses before September after falling to the Tigers 9-4 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The nearly 17,000 fans in attendance watched as an early 2-0 lead disintegrated. White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon got shelled, allowing five runs on eight hits. Meanwhile, the defense committed four errors, and the bullpen failed to keep the game close allowing four runs in the final three frames.
It is the first time in the franchise’s 124-year history that they have lost 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons. It’s a sad fall from grace for a team that had back-to-back playoff appearances and won a division title just three years ago. Now the only question is if they can eclipse the 1962 Mets record of 40-120-1, which is currently the most losses in an MLB season in baseball history.
The White Sox have already staked their claim as one of the worst teams of all time, regardless if they get the record. The South Siders set a franchise record with 14 consecutive losses, only to break the record two months later when they tied the AL record of 21 straight losses from July 10 to August 5. The White Sox were officially eliminated from playoff contention on August 17. Since the wild-card era began no team has been eliminated that early in the season.
Losing 100 games this season was not surprising. But few people expected the team to be this bad. Nothing has gone right. The White Sox have only lost 100 games in a season six times in their 123-year history. Three of those six seasons have occurred since 2018.
The White Sox are just 8-37 against AL Central opponents this season. But when you rank last in the MLB in runs scored and home runs and first in walks the record isn’t very good regardless of the division.
“Everyone in that locker room is aware of the record and how frustrating it is,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “Just because it’s a number doesn’t mean I want the focus to be any different.”
Execution has been an issue for the White Sox all season to the point both players and coaches alike are likely sick of talking about it. The effort has been there. Consistent execution of routine plays has not. As the White Sox have proven, that won’t be an easy fix.
“Obviously no one wants to lose 100 games, especially with still a month to go,” Cannon told MLB.com after getting tagged with the loss on Sunday. “We’re going to keep coming here every day, getting our work in, and just going out there and trying to win some ballgames.”
