It took 62 years for a team to break the 1962 New York Mets' record of 120 losses. Their infamous spot in baseball history was finally topped last season when the White Sox went 41-121 games, the most losses in MLB's modern era.
The White Sox have made marginal improvements in 2025. They won their 28th game on Sunday, something they didn't achieve until Aug. 6 of last season. But their 28-59 record is still second worst in MLB and puts them on pace for a third straight 100-loss season, the seventh in franchise history.
For what it's worth, the White Sox may not hold the title for the worst season in MLB history for nearly as long as the Mets did. The Colorado Rockies are off to a 20-67 start to the 2025, putting them on pace to lose 126 games.
The White Sox have a chance to help that cause, too. They begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Friday at 8:10 p.m. CT. Adrian Houser takes the mound for the series opener against Antonio Senzatela.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz was recently asked how he feels about the potential for the Rockies to set a new MLB record for losses in a single season.
"I don't focus on that too much, I really don't," Getz said in Chicago on June 23. "You feel for an organization that's going through that. For us, we felt like it provided a lot of clarity and direction for where we needed to head. I hope that they can do the same."
So, how do the 2024 White Sox and the 2025 Rockies compare? Through 87 games last season, the White Sox were a tick better at 24-63. They were 31 games back in the AL Central at that point, while the Rockies are currently 35.5 games behind the MLB-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Offensively, the White Sox finished last in MLB in hits, runs, home runs and walks in 2024. The Rockies rank 25th, 26th, 24th and 29th in those categories, respectively. The White Sox won two of three games over the Rockies last season in Chicago at the end of June.
Pitching and defense have been greater issues for the Rockies, who rank last in MLB with a 5.50 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP and a .977 fielding percentage. The 2024 White Sox posted a 4.67 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP and a .984 fielding percentage, none of which ranked last in MLB.
Both seasons resulted in managerial changes, too. The White Sox fired Pedro Grifol after a 28-89 record into August. The Rockies acted more quickly in moving on from Bud Black, who was fired after beginning his ninth season in Colorado with a 7-33 record. Since taking over for Black, Warren Schaeffer has a 13-34 record.
First-year manager Will Venable now leads the White Sox into Coors Field, where the Rockies have one just three games since the start of June as they threaten to overtake the White Sox for the most losses in MLB's modern era.
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