As the schedule heads into September, the Chicago White Sox have already surpassed 100 losses this season. Heading into Labor Day weekend, the White Sox have 27 games remaining on their schedule and are 17 losses away from breaking the Major League record for most losses in a single season.
The 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games, a mark that lives in baseball infamy, a record no MLB team wants to be associated with. The 2003 Detroit Tigers came close — very close — to matching the Mets, losing 119 games. Recent teams that also challenged the 1962 Mets were the 2018 Baltimore Orioles (115) and the 2019 Tigers (114).
The White Sox, however, seem quite capable of breaking the Mets’ record. As of August 30, they have a record of 31-104, while the Mets had a record of 34-100. Chicago has had losing streaks of 14 and 21 games this season, and began the season with four consecutive losing streaks, each separated by one win. They were eliminated from playoff contention on August 14, earlier than any other team in MLB history.
As the White Sox approach an all-time futility record, nine members of the ’62 Mets are still alive to possibly see their infamous record broken. Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal I spoke to some of the surviving members of the team to get their thoughts on this White Sox season, a terrible campaign they thought they would never see.
“It’s very likely to happen at some point,” said Craig Anderson, 86, a pitcher who went 3-17 in 1962. “I just didn’t expect it to happen in my lifetime.”
Mets legend Ed Kranepool sympathizes with the White Sox, but only to a point.
“I feel sorry for them,” said Kranepool, 79. “Better them than me.”
Perhaps the pain of enduring such a miserable season was best expressed by pitcher Jay Hook, who went 8-19.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,” said Hook, 87. Hook added that being part of a team like that is something that will always be a part of the players’ lives.
The White Sox have yet to break the Mets’ record. And perhaps they won’t. If they do, though, they can perhaps expect to be asked about the 2024 season if another MLB team comes close to matching this team’s losing record. Will fans and media still be talking about it and looking for those players 60-plus years later?