Had the White Sox played the rest of the season like they played September, it probably would've been what Chris Getz had in mind. They went 10-15, but while their offense lagged behind nearly every other team, the pitching turned in a respectable middle-of-the-pack performance. That would've been the recipe for a 65-win season that would've represented a mild, feel-good improvement after the implosion of the 2023 team.
Alas, September's 10-15 turned out to be their best showing by far, yet not good enough to avoid setting the modern MLB record for losses in a season. That's what winning seven games across July and August will do a team.
- March/April: 6-24
- May: 9-19
- June: 9-19
- July: 3-22
- August: 4-22
And now let's fulfill our court-ordered obligation to complete the series of Month in a Box for 2024.
WHITE SOX TEAM PERFORMANCE
- Record: 10-15
- Standings: Fifth, 51½ GB
- Longest winning streak: 3, Sept. 14-16 and Sept. 24-26
- Longest losing streak: 5, Sept. 17-22
- Largest margin of victory: 7, Sept. 4 and Sept. 26
- Largest margin of defeat: 10, Sept. 2
HITTING LEADERS
- Batting average: .374, Lenyn Sosa
- On-base percentage: .398, Sosa
- Slugging percentage: .566, Sosa
- wRC+: 173, Sosa
- Home runs: 5, Andrew Benintendi
- RBI: 16, Benintendi
- Walks: 7, Benintendi
- Strikeouts: 26, Luis Robert Jr.
- Stolen bases: 2, Robert and Miguel Vargas
- fWAR: 1.0, Sosa
PITCHING LEADERS
- Wins: 3, Jonathan Cannon
- Losses: 3, Garrett Crochet
- ERA: 1.42, Sean Burke
- Innings: 28⅔, Cannon
- Strikeouts: 29, Crochet and Chris Flexen
- Appearances: 14, Fraser Ellard
- Relief innings: 15, Prelander Berroa
- fWAR: 0.8, Crochet
COMING AND GOING
- White Sox debuts: Jairo Iriarte, Sean Burke, Jake Eder
- White Sox departures: Chad Kuhl
- Going up: Zach DeLoach, Iriarte, Matt Foster, Bryan Ramos, Burke, Eder
- Going down: Touki Toussaint, Nick Nastrini, Corey Julks
#SOXMORGUE
- Brooks Baldwin: Right wrist sprain
- Matt Foster: Lower back disc herniation
- Ky Bush: Left tricep strain
White Sox Honors
Most Valuable Player: Lenyn Sosa
In most situations, Sosa's .379 August OPS might've relegated him to the bench for September. However, Brooks Baldwin's wrist injury afforded Sosa one last long look, and he seized the opportunity. He hit .374/.398/.566 while starting 22 of 25 games, and the mistakes that plagued his defense on an everyday basis slowed to a trickle. The .436 BABIP and four walks -- OK, three walks and an HBP on a three-ball count -- create natural concern about sustainability, but that's a problem for Spring Training Sosa.
Least Valuable Player: Miguel VargAs
Vargas went 6-for-59 with a homer over 19 games, which would already be discouraging since he was the most significant acquisition at the trade deadline and is out of options next season, but his third-base-only profile created clutter when Bryan Ramos returned and looked just as worthy of an audition.
Most Valuable Pitcher: Sean Burke
In a pleasant twist, there's plenty of competition for this title. Jonathan Cannon and Chris Flexen pitched well enough for the White Sox to win more than half their starts, while Garrett Crochet struck out 29 batters against two walks over 17⅓ innings in intentionally shortened outings. But Burke gets the nod because he came out of nowhere to pitch well in all of his first four MLB appearances, and allowed just three runs over 16 innings in his three starts, which adds a welcome new dimension for charting a 2025 White Sox rotation.
Least Valuable Pitcher: Davis Martin
Martin finished the year looking like somebody still getting used to life after Tommy John surgery, with lapses in control and fluctuating effectiveness of his new changeup. He failed to reach four innings in two of his four September starts, but he finished the year with 50 innings and a 4.32 ERA, and is in position to have a normal, healthy offseason for the first time in three years.
Fire Man: Michael Soroka
At 0-10, Soroka couldn't avoid having the worst individual record by any pitcher in White Sox history, but at least he was able to come back from shoulder issues in time to post a few very intriguing appearances in relief. He allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 13 batters over 7⅓ scoreless innings. If he's willing to resign himself to the bullpen lifestyle, the form he showed in shorter bursts should generate a fair amount of interest. Scouts milling around the Detroit press box were raving about how Soroka looked out of the bullpen loud enough for James to hear.
Gas Can: Chad Kuhl
Kuhl appeared to wear down under the heavy, irregular workload the White Sox subjected him to over so many losing months. He allowed 10 runs and 21 baserunners over seven September innings, blowing a couple of late-game leads along the way, and the White Sox designated him for assignment during the last week of the season. He ended up throwing nearly 110 innings over 44 appearances between Charlotte and Chicago.
Bench Player: Zach DeLoach
It wasn't quite a Lenyn Sosa-grade revitalization, but DeLoach made himself useful in September, hitting .244/.320/.400 with five extra-base hits (including his first MLB homer) and five walks over 50 plate appearances. He ended up outhitting Dominic Fletcher on the season, albeit in a smaller sample. That says more about Fletcher than DeLoach, because neither of them should be counted upon for MLB-caliber outfield work. But pair it with a sizzling August, and DeLoach made a game attempt at salvaging what could've been an irrelevant season.
Stench Player: Corey Julks
Julks went 3-for-24 over his final seven games before he was optioned to Charlotte to make room for a player the White Sox had no intent of using. That's a bigger insult to Yoán Moncada than Julks, but only barely.
Gold Glove: Dominic Fletcher
Fletcher reached the level of defensive excellence to where exceptional efforts that didn't turn into outs registered as disappointments, and there were a couple of such plays in San Diego. On the other hand, he ended the season with a four-star catch that, while uncertain, held up under review and resulted in A.J. Hinch's first ejection of the season, so there's that.
Hands of Stone: MigueL Vargas
If you believe Statcast's monthly leaderboard, no White Sox player had an exceptional month in one way or another, but Vargas had the ugliest one. He got knocked out of a game with a collision with Andrew Benintendi, and had a couple of plays he just didn't make quickly enough. He looks more like an infielder than an outfielder, but his actions at third base are far from fluid.
Timeline
The franchise record: The 2024 White Sox become the losingest team in White Sox history by losing their 107th game in shutout fashion to the Mets. It's also their 10th consecutive loss, which is a different kind of feat. (Sept. 1)
Going to 11 three times over: The White Sox become the only team to have three losing streaks of 11 games or longer in the same season after suffering a 13-3 thumping at the hands of the Orioles. (Sept. 2)
The ugliest loss: The White Sox's 12th consecutive defeat is one of their ugliest games, though it's mostly because Miguel Vargas and Andrew Benintendi had a nasty collision in shallow left field on a catchable pop fly with two outs and the bases loaded. (Sept. 3)
Front office shake-up starts: The long-rumored changes to the White Sox's international operations begin in earnest when the White Sox announce the firing of Marco Paddy, who had been the team's de facto international scouting director since 2011. (Sept. 4)
From worst to first: The White Sox snap their 12-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over Baltimore, featuring the first--and only--homers of the season for both Nicky Lopez and Dominic Fletcher. (Sept. 4)
Thorpedoed: Drew Thorpe undergoes season-ending surgery for a bone spur in his right elbow, which explains why he'd spent most of the season searching for his best stuff. (Sept. 7)
Flex on 'em: The White Sox finally win a game in which Chris Flexen pitches, beating the Red Sox 7-2 to end Flexen's personal 21-game losing streak. He didn't get the win because the White Sox provided the entire margin for victory in the ninth inning. (Sept. 8)
Another record: The White Sox lose their 13th consecutive home game in a 5-3 defeat against Cleveland, which makes history once more. (Sept. 9)
Fool them twice: The White Sox lose their 15th consecutive home game, this one to Cleveland by a score of 6-4, but it's notable for featuring a pair of two-run Lane Thomas infield singles. (Sept. 11)
Keeping options open: The White Sox recall Ky Bush from Triple-A only to immediately put him on the injured list. Because he had spent less than 20 days in the minors since the Sox sent him to Charlotte, this seems like a way to preserve an option from being used. (Sept. 14)
Catharsis: A great throw from Zach DeLoach, and a great tag from Chuckie Robinson prevents another White Sox blown save from turning into an Oakland lead. Andrew Benintendi then restores order by hooking a 1-2 slider off the foul pole in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off homer that ends the White Sox's 16-game home losing streak. (Sept. 14)
They won the a series: The White Sox snap a streak of 20 consecutive series losses by taking the last two of three against Oakland. It's also the first time they've won back-to-back games since late June. (Sept. 15)
Staying on 19: Despite a few close calls later, the White Sox are shut out for the 19th and final time this season in a 5-0 loss to the Angels. Only three White Sox teams have been shut out more. (Sept. 17)
Yoán Moncada is back, kinda: After using all 20 days of his latest rehab stint, Yoán Moncada returned to the roster for the Angels series. He first appeared as a pinch-runner for Andrew Vaughn in the 12th inning, then struck out when hitting in the 13th, and the White Sox went the rest of the season without requiring his services. (Sept. 18)
No publicity is better publicity: National baseball reporters have been circling the White Sox as they trudge toward the all-time loss record, and Ken Rosenthal and Britt Ghiroli land the first blow with a report in The Athletic detailing how the White Sox got everything so wrong. There's palace intrigue, a minimal investment in analytics, and the team plane is behind the times, too. (Sept. 19)
So close to coming back: The White Sox, winless in games where they trail after six, kick out of the pin in the ninth inning with a Lenyn Sosa two-run shot that ties the game at 2, only to lose to San Diego in 10. (Sept. 20)
Move over, Tigers: The White Sox tie the American League record for losses in a season by dropping No. 119 to San Diego, 6-2. (Sept. 21)
Godblessit: Jake Peavy joins the fray in detailing the White Sox's long-running dysfunction, dishing about the disconnect between the training and strength-and-conditioning departments and dropping the memorable line, "The situation is in charge." (Sept. 22)
International man no longer a mystery: The White Sox hire veteran scout David Keller to head their international scouting operation. (Sept. 22)
Raging, finally: With a sizable portion of the home crowd there to watch the White Sox lose, the Sox break an 0-94 skid when trailing after seven with a three-run rally off the Angels bullpen, keeping them at 120 losses with two more home games to play. (Sept. 24)
Southern League champs: With DJ Gladney's walk-off single, the Birmingham Barons win their first league title since 2013 by sweeping the Montgomery Biscuits in a best-of-three series. (Sept. 24)
Not on his watch: Andrew Benintendi delivers his second game-winning hit in as many nights, delivering a walk-off single in the 11th inning to keep the Sox tied with the 1962 Mets for another day. (Sept. 25)
No satisfaction: With a 7-0 rout of the Angels, the White Sox sweep their second series of the year to close out the home schedule. Chris Flexen picks up the win himself, snapping a 23-start streak without one and likely ending his Sox career by walking off the field to a standing ovation. (Sept. 26)
Another twist: Another layer of dysfunction is revealed in an exposé by ESPN's Jesse Rogers, whose month-by-month account of the White Sox's deterioration includes a rather galling story about teammates who were unsympathetic to Liam Hendriks' battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (Sept. 26)
History: The White Sox finally succumb to infamy at Comerica Park with their record-setting 121st loss, although some of the attention is captured by the Tigers clinching their first postseason appearance in 10 years. (Sept. 27)
PERTINENT: White Sox seal shameful place in history with 121st loss
Tipping 40: Taking advantage of a hangover lineup on the other side, the White Sox fittingly reach 40 wins with a 4-0 victory over the Tigers. (Sept. 28)
A message from the chairman: During the last game of the season, Jerry Reinsdorf releases a statement taking accountability for the historic ineptitude and vows changes in multiple departments, although Chris Getz will remain the person overseeing it all. (Sept. 29)
41-121: The White Sox avoid a worse winning percentage than the 1962 Mets by winning the final two games of the season against Detroit, which also counts as their second road series victory of the season. The other happened in early May. (Sept. 29)
