SAN DIEGO — The Chicago White Sox tied the American League record with their 119th loss Saturday night, when Xander Bogaerts and Elias Diaz each hit a two-run homer to help the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 win and move closer to a playoff spot.
The White Sox (36-119) matched the AL mark set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who finished 43-119. One more defeat for Chicago over its final seven games would equal the post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets, and two more would set a record.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders hold the overall major league record for losses at 20-134. Chris Flexen (2-15) remained winless in his past 23 starts for a White Sox club that lost its 20th straight road series.
According to ESPN Research, Chicago, which is now 9-48 since the All-Star break, is on pace for 124 losses. «They've been playing some good baseball these last couple of days,» Bogaerts said of Chicago. «Obviously, we want to win every game by a big margin, but these guys are putting up a fight.