Former Mariners Hurler Makes Sad Baseball History with New Team as Poor Season Continues
Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Chris Flexen made some very sad baseball history on Friday night as a member of the Chicago White Sox.
Despite tossing a quality start, Flexen took a no-decision as the White Sox fell 5-2 to the Detroit Tigers. He surrendered just two earned runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Even though he wasn't saddled with the loss, Flexen is just 2-12 this year with a 5.34 ERA for the woeful White Sox (31-98).
In addition, the White Sox have now lost each of Flexen's last 19 starts, an in-season MLB record.
Per the Chicago Tribune:
The team’s 19 consecutive losses in games he has started matches the MLB record set by Chris Capuano and the Milwaukee Brewers (May 13, 2007-June 3, 2010). The first 18 during Capuano’s stretch came in ’07, with one in 2010 after missing time because of Tommy John surgery.
The 19-game skid passes the single-season record, which was held by Walt Dickson and the 1912 Boston Braves.
It's tough to see Flexen go through a stretch like this, because he was such a vital part of what the Mariners did in 2021 and 2022. Coming over from South Korea, Flexen went 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 2021, helping Seattle stay in contention until the final day of the regular season.
He won eight games in 2022 as Seattle broke the lengthy playoff drought. But unfortunately, things have spiraled for him since then. He was traded to the New York Mets after a poor start in 2023 and then also pitched for the Colorado Rockies. He was just 2-8 total in 2023 and is 2-12 this season.
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