There’s something about nearly setting an infamous record — like the most losses in a Major League Baseball season — that can strengthen the resolve of a team. Even a terrible one like the Chicago White Sox.
Since tying the 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses, the White Sox have been unbeatable. They won their third consecutive game on Thursday, beating up the Los Angeles Angels, 7–0.
No, wiseguy, that is not the White Sox’s longest winning streak of the season. But it’s the fourth time this year that they’ve strung that many wins together. Chicago won four consecutive games from May 8-11, beating the Tampa Bay Rays on the road before taking three straight from the Cleveland Guardians at home.
(The 2003 Detroit Tigers, after losing their 119th game of the season, won their final two to avoid infamy.)
White Sox fans hoping to see their team set the all-time MLB record for losses missed their final opportunity to do so at Guaranteed Rate Field. Chicago ends its season with a three-game series at Detroit. With the way the Tigers are playing — winning eight of their past 10 and going 16–6 in September and an AL wild-card playoff bid in their grasp — the White Sox will get that record defeat this weekend.
(However, Detroit is a 4 1/2-hour drive away from Chicago, so fans can take a trip to see the White Sox make history.)
Chicago broke the game open in the fifth inning with two-run singles from Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa, followed by RBI hits by Bryan Ramos, Zach DeLoach and Dominic Fletcher to build a seven-run lead. Vaughn, the White Sox’s best hitter this year, went 3-for-4 and leads the lineup with 67 RBI.
Starting pitcher Chris Flexen made that lead stand up easily, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing five hits with seven strikeouts. That effort, along with generous run support, earned the seven-year veteran his third victory of the season.
With their defeat, the Angels set a franchise record for most losses in a season with their 96th. Members of the 1968 and 1990 Angels can break out some Champagne because they are no longer burdened with being the standard bearer for team ineptitude.
Tyler Anderson was battered for five runs (four earned) and four hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss.
The Angels have lost 11 of their past 14 games. If not for the White Sox, they would be the worst team in the American League. Yet a historically bad Chicago team still has 23 more losses on their record this season.