OAKLAND, Calif.—The Chicago White Sox lost their 21st consecutive game, tying the American League record, with a 5–1 defeat to the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. Max Schuemann’s tiebreaking, two-run single in the fourth inning created the latest hole the White Sox could not escape.
Chicago is on the longest losing streak since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles lost 21 in a row. The National League record since 1900 is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight.
The major-league low belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels, an American Association team that lost 26 consecutive games during a 27–111 season.
“We talk about it every day,” White Sox Manager Pedro Grifol said of the streak. “Everybody knows what it is. It’s 21 in a row. It sucks. It’s not fun. It’s painful. It hurts. You name it. However you want to describe it. It’s not for lack of effort. Nobody wants to come out here and lose, so we’ve just got to put a good game together and put this behind us.”
Chicago, which last won on July 10 in a doubleheader opener against Minnesota, dropped to 27–88 and is on pace to finish 38–124, which would be the most losses since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders of the National League went 20–134. The White Sox have been held to one run or no runs 32 times.
“You just try to turn the page,” outfielder Corey Julks said. “Look forward to the next day, bounce back, don’t dwell on the loss, just try to learn from them and get better each day. ... We’re just trying to rally as a team and find a way to get a win.”
Tyler Nevin’s first-inning sacrifice fly put the A’s ahead, but Andrew Benintendi pulled the White Sox even with an RBI single against JP Sears (9–8) in the fourth.
JJ Bleday doubled in the bottom half off Ky Bush (0–1), a 24-year-old left-hander making his big-league debut. Zack Gelof walked, and Darell Hernaiz was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Schuemann grounded a single between shortstop and third that bounced into left field for a 3–1 Oakland lead.
Lawrence Butler hit a sixth-inning homer against Chad Kuhl, his 13th home run this season, to stretch the A’s lead to 4–1.
Gelof added another run in the eighth when he sprinted home from third after Jared Shuster’s pitch bounced away from catcher Korey Lee as Schuemann struck out. Lee looked toward Gelof at third and threw to first baseman Andrew Vaughn for the out on Schuemann, and Gelof raced home as Vaughn’s return throw skipped past Lee.
“Our whole plan coming into this series was to continue our focus, focus on the details of the game, play the game the way we know we’re capable of, and we did that tonight,” A’s Manager Mark Kotsay said.
Sears allowed three hits in seven innings, with five strikeouts and a walk, improving to 5–1 in his past six decisions.
“I thought his outing was great,” Kotsay said. “Five strikeouts, just one earned run. He managed the game great.”
Austin Adams and Tyler Ferguson finished a four-hitter that took just two hours, 15 minutes, and included just eight overall hits.
Bush allowed three runs, two hits, and five walks over four innings, with three strikeouts. He played college baseball at nearby Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif.
