The Chicago White Sox have surpassed the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in modern-day Major League Baseball history.
The ’62 expansion Mets went 40-120 in their first season. The Sox are 39-121, breaking the record Friday with a 4-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Sox have two games remaining to add to the mark.
Latest loss: 4-1 to the Detroit Tigers (Friday)
No team in Major League Baseball’s modern era has lost more games in a season than the 2024 White Sox.
The Sox reached the pinnacle of baseball infamy with record-breaking loss No. 121 on Friday, falling 4-1 to the Tigers in front of a sellout crowd of 44,435 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The Sox surpassed the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120 in their expansion season. The Sox are 39-121 with two games remaining.
The Sox saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, while the Tigers clinched a postseason berth with the victory.
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- Photos: White Sox make history with loss No. 121
- What was the final White Sox home game like? An odd wake, full of melancholy, contradiction — and elation.
- Column: White Sox defy the odds — and their fans — with a stunning sweep to delay a date with infamy
- Column: A crazy night on the South Side saw White Sox fans conflicted over making history
- Column: How did the White Sox fall to such depths? Gradually — and then suddenly.
- ‘The whole thing is too bad’: 1962 New York Mets pitcher Jay Hook feels the White Sox’s pain as they near loss record
- Column: Jerry Reinsdorf concedes the obvious — it’s a ‘very painful’ season for White Sox fans
- White Sox are not alone in their losing. Disappointment is a common theme throughout Chicago’s sports history.
- Column: Past, present and future meld together on the White Sox’s road to infamy
- The magic number is 120, but White Sox fans will tell you it’s just a number
- Column: The 2024 White Sox — while not as beloved as the 1962 Mets — have had as many ridiculous moments
Remaining schedule
- Saturday: at Detroit Tigers, 12:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Sunday: at Detroit Tigers, 2:10 p.m., NBCSCH
Notable streaks this season
The Sox had three double-digit losing streaks — 14 games from May 22-June 6, an AL record-tying 21 straight from July 10-Aug. 5 and 12 consecutive from Aug. 23-Sept. 3.
Their skid of 20 straight series losses ended Sunday after back-to-back wins over the Oakland Athletics. Those two victories also broke a streak of not having won consecutive games since a stretch of three straight victories June 27-29.
The Sox on Sept. 14 snapped their stretch of 16 consecutive home losses, which also was a franchise record.
Seasons with 100+ losses
Looking back at the franchise’s 124-season history, the Sox have lost 100 or more games just six times. Three of those, however, have happened since 2018.
Sources: Tribune reporting; Baseball Reference