With just one week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are staring down the barrel of potentially finishing with the worst record in modern baseball history. Entering the final stretch at 36-120, they've already tied the legendary futility of the 1962 New York Mets, a team long noted for their monumental 120-loss season.
The White Sox's offensive struggles this season have been glaringly apparent. The team is collectively hitting .220/.278/.339, significantly below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their OPS+ stands at a meager 76, indicating they are 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power. To underscore the team's struggles, they rank dead last in home runs, managing just 127 for the season, with no single player reaching the 20-home run benchmark.
The offensive woes manifest further in their run-scoring, averaging just 3.07 runs per game—the lowest in the league. For context, the Rays, who rank just above them, average 3.78 runs per game. The White Sox's inability to generate runs has led them to being outscored 799-479, resulting in a staggering -320 run differential.
The individual performances reflect the team's overall struggles. Andrew Vaughn leads the team in both RBIs and runs, with 67 and 54 respectively, but even he ranks 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title. On the defensive side, the White Sox have been even more abysmal, with a league-worst -83 total zone runs. The Marlins, ranked 29th, are comparatively better with -53 total zone runs, while the Brewers and Mariners lead the league, each boasting 46 total zone runs.
An equally troubling statistic is that the White Sox's leader in WAR, Erick Fedde, hasn't pitched since July 27. The cumulative WAR for the team, per FanGraphs, stands at a dismal -6.8, making them the only team in the league with a negative figure. For perspective, the Rockies, who rank 29th in WAR, have a positive 4.1.
Home and away, the numbers continue to paint a dire picture. With a 16-62 road record, they have the worst away performance in the league. The Rockies have the next fewest road wins with 24. At home, the story remains bleak; the White Sox are 20-58, once again the worst in the league, with the Marlins slightly better at 30-51. Notably, before this disastrous season, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
The season has seen the White Sox endure three extensive slumps—of 21, 14, and 12 straight losses each—along with additional losing streaks of seven, six, and two stretches of five, one of which is still active. Historically, the team had only ever endured losing streaks of 12 games or more three times in their history, in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox are 9-49. No team has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half—a record held by the A's, who went 15-61 in 1915 and 1943. Despite their litany of defeats, the White Sox managed winning records against just five teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). Against divisional rivals in the AL Central, they are a woeful 12-41.
The 2024 season, unquestionably, is a nadir for the Chicago White Sox, marking the worst campaign in their long-standing history. As the final six games approach, the question looms whether the team can avert setting a new low in modern baseball or if they will indeed lay claim to the most ignominious record. All eyes are now on the South Side of Chicago, watching how this historical debacle will officially conclude.