Chicago White Sox Snap Historic Losing Streak With Win Over Oakland Athletics

After nearly a month of racking up losses, the Chicago White Sox got themselves back in the win column with a 5-1 victory against the Oakland Athletics.

Aug 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi (23) celebrates with designated hitter Lenyn Sosa (50) and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) after hitting a two run home run during the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

It may have taken nearly a month of waiting, but the Chicago White Sox are winners once again.

Chicago never trailed in Tuesday night's showdown with the Oakland Athletics, getting a two-run home run out of Andrew Benintendi in the fourth inning and never looking back. Rookie starting Jonathan Cannon allowed a solo home run and not much else over the course of 6.0 innings, and the White Sox held on to win 5-1.

That officially brought an end to the club's 21-game losing streak, an unsavory feat that hadn't been accomplished in several decades. It was tied for the longest losing streak in American League history alongside the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.

Only the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies have posted a longer losing streak in MLB's modern era, dropping 23 decisions in a row.

The 2024 White Sox, at least for now, won't be joining the Phillies at the top of that list, which is technically a silver lining to what has been an otherwise dreadful campaign.

Even after winning Tuesday, Chicago remains 28-88 on the season. That puts the White Sox on pace for a 39-123 record, which would give them the second-most losses ever in an MLB season.

Chicago's 0.241 winning percentage, meanwhile, has only ever been outdone by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders and 1916 Philadelphia Athletics.

The 21-game losing streak was the longest in White Sox franchise history. The previous record also belonged to the 2024 team, as they lost 14 in a row between May and June earlier this year.

Between the White Sox's most recent wins on July 10 and Aug. 6, former president Donald Trump was shot, president Joe Biden decided not to pursue re-election, vice president Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee and each candidate selected their respective running mates. The American League All-Star Team had more wins that the White Sox in that span, despite the fact that they only played one game back on July 16.

FanGraphs has given Chicago a 0.0% chance of making the postseason since April 7, which was less than two weeks removed from Opening Day. Considering the White Sox started the season 3-22, that wasn't exactly a shocking result to come out of the simulations.

The White Sox currently sit 35.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot, meaning it won't take long for them to get mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The next worst team in the AL is the Athletics, who are only 16.0 games back out.

Chicago could either start an uncharacteristic winning streak or stumble back into the loss column in Wednesday's series finale against Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 3:37 p.m. ET.

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