Outside The Confines: The White Sox tie an unwelcome record

They are on their way to the most losses in modern baseball history.

We all know the White Sox are having a bad season, but now we officially know they’re one of the worst teams in modern baseball history. On Sunday night they lost to the Padres, and that loss saw them tie the 1962 New York Mets at 120 losses ($).

And there’s still a week of baseball left.

The Sox are decidedly not having fun, but if it’s any comfort, at least they will get to go home and regroup after next weekend.

Meanwhile, if you’re feeling nostalgic, some big names are saying good-bye to the Oakland stadium.

Now on to the rest of today’s links!

• Michael Baumann looks at what’s going on with the late-clinching season we’re seeing this year.
• Alex Cora might have tried for the most dramatic ejection of the season early in the Red Sox/Twins doubleheader. Story by David Adler.
• WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark might harbor a secret dream of being an MLB announcer. Tom Dierberger shares the story.
• Tim Capurso tries to predict the top finishers for AL and NL MVP.
• Umpire Larry Vanover has announced his retirement. (AP)
• Fabian Ardaya wonders if Shohei Ohtani potentially played the greatest game of baseball ever. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This is how you handle Twitter for a losing team, lol.

• Ben Clemens looks at how Shohei Ohtani made history while having the single greatest game of the season for any one player.
• Andrew Simon looks at potential postseason matchups we might see for the first time.
• Tim Capurso looks at the classy reaction Astros fans had to Justin Verlander’s first start.
• Max Scherzer is hoping for a healthy winter after ending this season on the IL. (AP)
• Dick Moss, the lawyer who helped win free agency rights for MLBers, has passed away at 93. (AP)
• Chad Jennings looks at 11 under-the-radar stories you should be paying attention to. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Have yourself a season, Elly.

• Jay Jaffe checks in on how playoff odds are looking for certain teams as we enter the last week of the season.
• Bryan Hoch looks at how Aaron Judge’s 54th home run got overshadowed.
• Tim Capurso spotlights just how ridiculous this Shohei Ohtani home run was.
• Kiley McDaniel looks at how the 2024 Mets defied expectations and overcame a rough start to have an incredible season (and future).
• Tyler Kepner wonders if it’s time to rethink the “quality start.” (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Could the DBacks be Utah-bound?

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.