Twins have chance to put White Sox in rare club of MLB misery

Chicago has lost 17 games in a row entering their upcoming series at Target Field.

Jul 31, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Dominic Fletcher (7) cannot catch a ball hit for a double hit by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Losing 20 consecutive games in Major League Baseball is almost impossible. It's happened just six times in the history of the game, but the Chicago White Sox are threatening to join the exclusive club, though they'll need a little help from the Minnesota Twins to get there.

The White Sox haven't won a game since beating the Twins in the first game of a doubleheader way back on July 10. Exactly three weeks, including the All-Star break, have passed and the lowly Southsiders have dropped 17 games in a row. With three games in Minneapolis upcoming Friday-Sunday, the White Sox could be joining the exclusive 20 consecutive losses club.

Minnesota will send Joe Ryan to the mound on Friday with hopes of sending the Sox to their 18th straight loss. Bailey Ober, who has been one of the best starting pitchers in the majors since mid-June, will take the mound for the Twins with hopes of pushing the Chicago streak to 19 on Saturday. Then, in what could be a history-making day Sunday at Target Field, rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson will pitch against the White Sox.

The last team to lose 20 consecutive games was the Baltimore Orioles, who started the 1988 season 0-21. The others are the 1961 Phillies (23, which is the worst of all time), 1969 Montreal Expos (20), 1943 Athletics (20), 1916 Athletics (20) and the 1906 Boston Americans (20).