The Chicago White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol on Thursday, two days after the team ended a 21-game losing streak that tied the American League record.
Chicago began the day 28-89, on pace to finish 39-122, which would be the worst major league record since the National League’s Cleveland Spiders were 20-134 in 1899.
The White Sox ended the losing streak with a 5-1 victory at Oakland on Tuesday night, then wasted a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss on Wednesday. The 21 losses tied the mark set when the 1988 Baltimore Orioles started 0-21.
“Our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in a statement. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”
Grifol was in the middle of his second season as a major league manager after a long career in the game, lugging an 89-190 record.
He was the first manager fired this season.
Chicago said a replacement likely will be hired after the season. Bench coach Charlie Montoyo was a possibility to take over as interim manager. He managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 2019-22.
The White Sox had a 14-game losing streak from May 22-June 6, setting a team season record that lasted only until the skid that followed the All-Star break.
“My mentality and the way I look at things is we’re all in this thing together, and I’m the first one to take blame for anything that happens on this team. I’m the manager, right? And I’ve done that since day one. I did it last year. I’ll do it again this year,” Grifol said on July 30. “I don’t hide away from blame. Blame is what it is. I’ve got the position, the office, that’s the chair. I would never blame our players for this season. That’s not my makeup.”
The 54-year-old Grifol presented a positive outlook in spring training, after the White Sox went 61-101 in his first season for their worst finish since going 56-106 in 1970. The optimism quickly evaporated, though. The White Sox hit .192 and scored just 56 runs while dropping 22 of their first 25 games. They started August with the second-worst team ERA and the worst team batting average in Major League Baseball.
The White Sox made the playoffs in 2020 and won the AL Central in 2021, but they’ve stumbled hard since. Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa stepped down late in the 81-81 season in 2022, and Grifol was hired to replace him. The former minor league catcher, who had four seasons of minor league managing experience in the Seattle Mariners system, spent 10 years in a variety of coaching roles with the Kansas City Royals from 2013-22.
The White Sox were one of baseball’s worst hitting teams last season, when executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn were fired in August. Grifol remained in place after Chris Getz was promoted to general manager, but there hasn’t been much to work with on Chicago’s South Side lately.
Relievers Aaron Bummer and Gregory Santos were traded away in the offseason, and ace right-hander Dylan Cease was dealt to San Diego in March. Then All-Star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and key hitters Yoán Moncada and Eloy Jiménez were sidelined by significant injuries early this season.
The White Sox also have been hurt by lackluster production from first baseman Andrew Vaughn, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft, and veteran outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who signed a $75 million, five-year contract for 2023.
At the trade deadline, the White Sox kept Robert and ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, but they dealt designated hitter Jiménez to Baltimore, pitcher Tanner Banks to Philadelphia and infielder Paul DeJong to Kansas City.
The White Sox are headed toward their sixth 100-loss season, which would be the first time in franchise history it’s occurred consecutive years. Their all-time worst winning percentage (.325) was recorded in 1932, when they went 49-102-1, and the 2024 team was well on its way to shattering that futility mark.
According to Sportradar data, Grifol’s record is the worst for a single team among managers who’ve logged at least 100 games since Casey Stengel went 175-404 for the New York Mets from 1962-65. Grifol’s record is the fifth-worst overall since 1900 among managers with 100-plus games.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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