The Chicago White Sox have set a new record for the earliest elimination from postseason contention.
On Saturday, they were mathematically ruled out of playoff chances after losing 6-1 to the Houston Astros, dropping their season record to 30-94. This beat the previous earliest elimination record held by the 2018 Baltimore Orioles by three days, according to Jessica Brand.
With 38 games left in the season, Chicago is now 38.5 games behind both the American League Central and the final wild-card spot . The team is on track to lose 123 games this year, which would surpass even the infamous 1962 New York Mets who lost 120 games.
Record-Breaking Losses
Fans might think this season is just one big nightmare. The White Sox have also managed to secure one of the worst winning percentages in modern history. They’ve only won about 24% of their games so far; only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics had a worse percentage with a record of 36-117.
Earlier this summer, they became just the seventh MLB team since 1988 to lose more than 20 consecutive games. This season alone has seen them establish two of MLB’s top-40 longest losing streaks ever.
Adding salt to their wounds, next year’s draft won’t offer much solace either. Due to MLB rules against non-revenue sharing teams entering consecutive lotteries, they can’t pick higher than tenth in next year’s draft.
What do you think about this rough season for the White Sox?
