SAN DIEGO – The Chicago White Sox made unfortunate history on Saturday night, tying the American League record with their 119th loss. Despite their struggles, the San Diego Padres emerged victorious with a 6-2 win, fueled by home runs from Xander Bogaerts and Elias Díaz.
The White Sox (36-119) equaled the AL record set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who wrapped up the season with a dismal 43-119 record. With one more loss in their final seven games, Chicago could match the post-1900 record of 120 losses held by the 1962 New York Mets. Their record since the All-Star break stands at a woeful 9-48.
The major league record for losses in a single season is held by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who finished with a dismal 20-134 record.
Despite their losing streak, Chris Flexen (2-15) and the White Sox put up a fight, extending their losing streak on the road to 20 series.
David Peralta also contributed with a home run for the Padres (89-66), who are now just three games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West with seven games left in the season. San Diego maintains a two-game lead over Arizona for the top NL wild card spot.
The Padres are now two games away from clinching their second playoff berth in three seasons, with the magic number reduced to two. However, they received no help from Atlanta or the New York Mets, both of whom emerged victorious on Saturday.
The Padres secured a 3-2 extra innings victory over the White Sox in Friday night’s game.
Xander Bogaerts’ two-run homer in the second inning gave the Padres an early lead. David Peralta followed with his own home run, and Elias Díaz added a two-run shot in the eighth inning.
Despite the loss, Lenyn Sosa and Bryan Ramos managed to contribute offensively for the White Sox, with Martín Pérez (5-5) delivering a strong performance on the mound for the Padres.
“We’ve got to stay focused. I know it’s only two games, but we still have a long week and we have to just finish strong,” said Pérez, emphasizing the importance of maintaining their momentum.
Outstanding defensive plays from Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar further solidified the Padres’ performance on the field.
Looking ahead, White Sox RHP Sean Burke and Padres RHP Yu Darvish are set to start in the series finale on Sunday.
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