The Chicago White Sox are having one of the worst seasons in Major League Baseball history. Through 139 games, they are 31-108 and things are not improving. When you dig down into the numbers, the level of futility from the Southsiders is truly insane. What follows is a look at the most mind-boggling stats and facts about the 2024 White Sox.
The White Sox have the three longest losing streaks in MLB this season. Those have consisted of 21 games, 14 games, and their current 11-game skid. If you took away all of those losses, their winning percentage would be .333, which would still be the worst in baseball. The Colorado Rockies (51-87) are second worst at .370.
As a group, the American League Central's teams enter Wednesday's action 32 games under .500. The AL Central has five teams. Four of them are over .500. The Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers are a combined 45 games over .500. Chicago is 77 games under .500.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders are generally considered to be the worst team in the history of Major League Baseball. They finished that season 20-134. They didn't lose their 108th game until September 7. The White Sox did it on September 2.
The White Sox currently have 31 wins. In baseball history, 124 pitchers have matched or exceeded that number of victories on their own in a single season. Old Hoss Radbourn did it three times!
After a defeat on Monday, Chicago has now lost 20 consecutive games started by Chris Flexen, a streak that has lasted since his last win on May 8. It is the longest losing streak in a single pitcher's starts since 1900. But this certainly isn't all on the Flexen. In 12 of those starts, he has allowed three or fewer runs and the White Sox have won none of them. Flexen is 0-11 with a 5.73 ERA in his last 21 appearances (20 starts) since he won his last game.
The White Sox are anemic offensively. They are currently last in MLB in on-base percentage (.277), slugging (.388) and home runs (109). Their OPS (.615) is the worst in baseball by more than 50 points and they have scored 97 fewer runs than anyone in MLB. They're also 29th in batting average (.219) barely edging the Seattle Mariners (.216).
Things aren't much better on the pitching side. Chicago is 29th in ERA (4.89), WHIP (1.45) and earned runs allowed (661), 28th in home runs allowed (179) and 27th in opponents' batting average (.258).
In their last 45 games, the White Sox are 4-41, which is the worst record in a 45-game span since the 1916 Philadelphia A's.
Those same Philadelphia A's finished with the worst winning percentage in modern MLB history at .235. The White Sox are currently at .223.
Luis Robert currently leads the White Sox non-pitchers in WAR. He has only collected 0.6. Only seven non-pitchers on the roster have produced a positive WAR this season. In all, 33 players have produced a negative WAR for the White Sox this season, 12 of them pitchers.
Chicago currently has a run differential of -301. The worst differential in modern baseball history was the 1932 Boston Red Sox at -349. That number is certainly within reach.
The White Sox won four consecutive games from May 8 through May 11. It is their longest winning streak of the season. They have only had six winning streaks all season.
Chicago has had three winless homestands this season. In their most recent, the White Sox went 0-10 against the Tigers, Texas Rangers and Mets, while being outscored 54-22.
The 1962 New York Mets suffered the most losses in modern MLB history as they went 40-120 in their expansion season. The White Sox are on pace to finish 36-126.
