The Kansas City Royals defeated the White Sox, 4-3, on Tuesday, sending Chicago to a franchise-record 16th straight loss.
The White Sox scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning and held a 2-1 lead into the eighth. But reliever Fraser Ellard walked two and threw a wild pitch to strand runners at the corners with one out for reliever Justin Anderson.
Anderson then allowed back-to-back hits to Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino that scored three runs to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.
#Royalty took the lead tonight with this two-run single by Vinnie Pasquantino.
Big AB with two strikes. Great throw by 3B coach Vance Wilson to bring home the speedy Bobby Witt Jr. And a great breakdown by Pasquantino, who was thrown out advancing to 2B, which I’ll share below. image.twitter.com/cs1x30NPXX
—Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 31, 2024
The White Sox responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough. Kansas City came away with the win, and an already miserable White Sox season reached new heights in the franchise record books.
Chicago’s losing streak, in numbers
The White Sox’s previous longest losing streak was 15 games and spanned the 1967 and 1968 seasons. They lost the last five games of 1967 and then got off to an 0-10 start in 1968.
The 2024 White Sox have lost 16 straight games in a single season, which is a new franchise record. The franchise’s longest losing streak in a single season prior was 14. That came courtesy of this very team. Set that mark on June 7th of this year.
The White Sox have existed as an MLB team since 1901.
The White Sox have been swept by the Pirates, Rangers, Royals and Mariners during the losing streak. Another loss to the Royals (59-49) on Wednesday would mark a second sweep for Kansas City during the streak. Tuesday’s loss marked an 0-12 record for the White Sox since returning from the All-Star break.
The loss left Chicago with a 27-83 (.245) record, by far the worst in baseball. No other American League team has fewer than 45 wins (45-64 Oakland A’s). The Colorado Rockies (38-70, .352) are the next worst team in baseball.
The next game after the series against the Royals concludes is a three-game series with the playoff-contending Minnesota Twins. After that, a three-game series with the A’s is Chicago’s best bet for the relief job.