The 1988 Baltimore Orioles will live forever in history. Their 0-21 start cost manager Cal Ripken Sr. his job (he was replaced by Frank Robinson six games into the season) and left his sons, Cal Jr. and Billy, to play out the string on a 54-107 season.
It remains the worst start to a season in baseball history.
The Orioles’ 21 consecutive losses also set an American League record that still stands — though potentially not for much longer. The Chicago White Sox suffered their 20th consecutive defeat Sunday, losing 13-7 to the Minnesota Twins.
The White Sox are challenging the modern record for the longest losing streak in baseball history, set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961 with 23.
The all-time record for futility belongs to the Louisville Colonels at 26 games. That mark was set in 1889 in the now-defunct American Association, but is recognized by Major League Baseball as official.
The White Sox can only hope to avoid re-writing the record books.
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The weekend series against the Twins presented a golden opportunity to right the ship.
Chicago sent its ace, Garrett Crochet, to the mound on Saturday and kept the game tied 2-2 through six innings. Relievers Touki Toussaint and John Brebbia allowed four runs between the seventh and eighth innings, however, enabling Minnesota to escape with a 6-2 win.
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Sunday’s game was never as close. They were trailing 8-0 after two innings, though the seven runs they scored in response marked their finest offensive output since July 3.
Their last victory also came against the Twins, in the first game of a doubleheader on July 10. That was so long ago, most of their best players had not yet been traded, Joe Biden was still running for president, and the Paris Olympic cauldron was dark.
Since then, six White Sox regulars — pitchers Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Tanner Banks, outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Tommy Pham, and shortstop Paul DeJong — have been traded to contending teams. The team has been outscored 132-48. And of course, no wins have been added to their season total of 27.
At 27-87, the White Sox are on pace to win 38 games, which would mark the fewest ever since MLB shifted to a 162-game schedule. Manager Pedro Grifol’s job is safe, though reportedly he could be fired any day now — even after meeting with owner Jerry Reinsdorf earlier this week.
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Next up for the White Sox: the Oakland A’s, owners of the second-worst record in the American League at 46-67. There’s a large gap between the two teams in terms of wins and losses, but the opportunity to end the streak has perhaps never been better for Chicago.
The two teams will play three games beginning Monday at the Oakland Coliseum.