1 October 2023
In a season filled with futility, the Chicago White Sox made the wrong type of history Saturday, suffering their 100th defeat in a 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It’s just the fifth time in franchise history the Sox have lost 100 games. The 2023 team (61-100) joins the teams from 1932 (49-102), 1948 (51-101), 1970 (56-106) and 2018 (62-100) in reaching the dubious distinction.
Before the game, manager Pedro Grifol wasn’t too caught up with the number.
“I know people think it’s an ugly number, but 99 (losses) is not?” he said. “I’ve never been too caught up in that. I want our guys to go out there and compete. Respect the game and finish the season strong. And wherever we end up, we end up.
“That’s not where we’re going to be next year, so I don’t get too caught up in 99 or 100 or anything like that. I really don’t. But I know it’s a big deal. People make it a big deal. It’s not for me. It’s not that big a deal for me.”
The Sox fell behind quickly Saturday in front of 30,118 at Guaranteed Rate Field as the Padres scored four runs in the first inning.
Mike Clevinger walked two in the inning after not walking any batters in his previous five starts (32 innings). Jurickson Profar had a three-run double and scored on a double from Ji Man Choi to put the Sox in a huge hole.
Profar had an RBI single during a two-run second inning. That was the last batter for Clevinger, who allowed six runs on seven hits in 1⅔ innings.
Lenyn Sosa homered in the loss.
The Sox had a dismal start to the season, going 7-21. That stretch featured a 10-game losing streak.
It didn’t get much better for the team throughout the year. They enter Sunday’s season finale having lost 43 of 61.
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