CHICAGO — Amidst the worst season in franchise history and one of the worst seasons in MLB history, the Chicago White Sox have fired manager Pedro Grifol after less than two seasons at the helm.
The club announced Grifol’s dismissal Thursday morning during an off-day, a day after a loss to the Oakland Athletics dropped the White Sox to 28-89, by far the worst record in the majors. Chicago snapped an American League record-tying 21-game losing streak on Tuesday night and had previously lost 14 games in a row this season.
Chicago announced later Thursday morning that Grady Sizemore will serve as the team’s interim manager for the rest of the season. Sizemore was a three-time American League All-Star during a playing career that spanned 10 seasons with four teams, mostly with Cleveland, from 2004-15.
Sizemore joined Grifol’s staff as an MLB coach prior to this season.
The White Sox also announced Thursday they relieved bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar of their duties, along with Grifol’s firing. The team also announced Doug Sisson (bench coach), Justin Jirschele (third-base coach) and Mike Gellinger (assistant hitting coach) will join the MLB coaching staff for the remainder of 2024.
After Thursday’s off-day, the White Sox host the Cubs on Friday and Saturday night at Guaranteed Rate Field for the second half of the 2024 Crosstown Classic.
The White Sox said they will begin a search for a new manager immediately, with a replacement expected to be announced after the conclusion of the season.
General manager Chris Getz is expected to address the media later Thursday morning.
“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” Getz said in a news release announcing Grifol’s firing. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging.
“Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”
Grifol was hired on Nov. 3, 2022, and led the White Sox to an 89-190 record over his one-plus seasons at the helm, just a .319 winning percentage.
The White Sox went 61-101 in 2023.
Historic futility
Expectations weren’t high going into 2024, but this season’s team is on pace to far surpass just another 100-loss season. It’s been so bad, the 2024 White Sox have entered the conversation for worst team in MLB history.
They lost 14 in a row from May 22 through June 6, which set a single-season franchise mark. They obliterated that in the same season, losing 21 straight from July 10 through Aug. 5, nearly a full month between wins.
That losing streak tied the American League record set by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.
Another interesting nugget that connects the 1988 Orioles and the 2024 White Sox is that Gavin Sheets and his father, Larry (who played catcher for that Baltimore squad), also share the record for longest losing streak in AL history.
And if insult to injury wasn’t enough, it’s also worth noting the 1988 Orioles snapped their 21-game losing streak against the White Sox, who featured the likes of Ozzie Guillen, Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines on their roster at the time.
Chicago’s 21-game losing streak was two shy of MLB’s Modern Era (since 1900) record of 23 straight losses by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies and five shy of the all-time record for any era of 26 straight losses by the 1889 Louisville Colonels of the old American Association.
The White Sox started the season by losing four straight and have also had losing streaks of seven games, six games, five games and four games another three times. They lost 22 of their first 25 games, went 3-22 in July, have lost 25 of their last 27 and have been outscored by 248 runs this season.
Entering play Thursday, the White Sox were the only team in MLB to score fewer than 400 runs (360) so far and one of two to allow more than 600 (608).
On the day they announced Grifol’s firing, the White Sox were two games worse than the 1962 New York Mets, often regarded as the worst team in MLB’s Modern Era. That was their first season as an expansion team.
That infamous ’62 Mets squad finished 40-120, the most losses in the Modern Era. They were 30-87 through 117 games, two games better than the 2024 White Sox at the same point.
The 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who went 36-117 before MLB expanded to the 162-game schedule, hold the MLB Modern Era mark for worst winning percentage over a full season at .235.
With 45 games left, the 2024 White Sox are just ahead of that, at .239.