Were there people who showed up to that game specifically to watch the team lose? Almost certainly. But there was also clearly a large group of supporters who love the team and wanted to spend time with them at the park.
There were common complaints — everyone who spoke with NBC News encouraged Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the team — but ultimately still a loyalty among the Chicago faithful on what could have been an infamous night. Some fans even remained defiant.
“It hasn’t been a good season for us, but I’m still going to come,” said Lance Norton, who first started going to games as a kid in 2004. “Everybody has their woes. Eventually, it will be our turn again. And when we do rise up again, I can talk all the smack I want.”
Chicago has been in a downward spiral after back-to-back playoff appearances in 2020 and ’21. The 2022 season was respectable, as the team went 81-81, finishing second in the American League Central.
Things took a turn the next year. Despite signing outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the richest contract in team history (five years, $75 million) and hiring Pedro Grifol as the new manager, the White Sox were pitiful, posting a 61-101 record in 2023. At the trade deadline, Chicago traded away any useful players it did have, but didn’t exactly beef up the farm system in return. The team fired general manager Rick Hahn and Vice President Kenny Williams in August of that year, but promoted Chris Getz to run the front office.
This season, the Sox have posted ignominious mark after ignominious mark.
In a 50-game span ending on Sept. 3, Chicago went 5-45, the fourth-worst 50-game mark in MLB history, and the worst 50-game stretch in more than 100 years. (The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics went 4-46.) The White Sox have posted the most losses in franchise history, a mark they broke on Sept. 1. They’ve had three separate losing streaks of 10 games or longer.
On Aug. 5, Chicago lost its 21st consecutive game, another franchise record, becoming the first team since 1988 to lose at least 21 games in a row. After winning nine games each in May and June, the team won seven games combined in July and August.
