Chicago White Sox lose 121st game of the season, set modern-era MLB record for losses

The Chicago White Sox lost their 121st game of the season Friday, etching their names further in baseball infamy.

With a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers, the White Sox fell to 39-121. They now hold sole possession of the MLB record for losses in a season in the modern era, a span that dates to 1900. The team took the news with the irreverence that has dominated its social media accounts lately.

Here’s how the final out was recorded in the record-breaking loss, which coincidentally sent the Tigers into the postseason:

The White Sox were previously tied for the record with the expansion 1962 New York Mets, who finished 40-120-1. The Sox reached that low point on Sept. 22, with a 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. But a surprising three-game home sweep of the Angels delayed the infamy a few more days.

The White Sox have two games remaining on their regular-season schedule and still have time to extend the record before their season concludes Sunday, putting it further out of reach of future exceptional losers.

It has been a season filled with lowlights on the South Side of Chicago. This, inarguably, is the lowest.

The White Sox’s winning percentage is now .244. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics played eight games fewer than the 1962 Mets and will keep the record for the worst winning percentage (36-117, .235) in modern-era history.

The historic White Sox season also includes not one but two notable losing streaks, one of which holds a place in the MLB record books. The White Sox set a franchise-record losing streak with 14 consecutive losses that ended on June 7. They came out of that losing streak with a 15-48 (.238) record.

Chicago then topped that record with a longer losing streak that straddled the All-Star break. The White Sox lost their last four games before the break and their first 17 games of the second half for a 21-game losing streak. That tied the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the longest in American League history and left the White Sox at 27-88 (.235).

If there is any solace from that streak, Chicago didn’t extend it to 22 to claim the AL record as its own. The White Sox also didn’t tie or pass the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who hold the record for the longest losing streak in MLB history at 23 games.

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Adding insult to injury, the White Sox don’t have a premium draft pick to look forward to after all these losses. MLB rules prohibit large-market teams (defined as teams that don’t receive revenue-sharing) from receiving lottery picks in consecutive drafts. The White Sox received a lottery pick (No. 5) in July and, therefore, can pick no higher than 10th in the 2025 draft.

Also, based on statements from general manager Chris Getz, it sounds like the franchise doesn’t intend to make any significant splashes in free agency.