Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago White Sox ended their American League record-tying 21-game losing streak on Tuesday night by beating the Oakland Athletics 5-1.
Jonathan Cannon gave up one run over six innings, ending his personal losing streak and helping the White Sox get their first win since early July.
“It was just really good to get this behind us. I thought we played a clean game today,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Any time you win it’s great. Any time you win when you lose 21 in a row it’s even better. I’m proud of these guys.”
On Monday, Chicago matched the longest losing streak since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles lost 21 in a row, falling to the Athletics 5-1. The National League record is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight games.
The major league record belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels, who lost 26 consecutive games during a 27-111 season.
Despite the win, the White Sox did not celebrate much. They exchanged high-fives as they left the field and played soft music in the clubhouse afterward.
“I think it’s just a sigh of relief,” Cannon said. “We’re all major league players, we got a lot of confidence in ourselves to go out and do our jobs every night. Just wasn’t working out for us. Proud we could put it together tonight. It was a team effort all around.”
Benintendi hit his second two-run home run in three days off a fastball from A’s starter Ross Stripling down the right field line into the stands in the fourth inning. He also doubled and scored in the ninth.
After Zack Gelof hit his 14th home run of the season in the fourth inning to cut the lead in half, the White Sox scored twice in the sixth inning to pull ahead.
Brooks Baldwin singled and scored on a wild pitch, and Andrew Vaughn added an RBI single to make the score 4-1.
