Lenyn Sosa hit a three-run homer in the third inning, giving the struggling Chicago White Sox a five-run lead as they defeated the playoff-bound Detroit Tigers 9-5 on Sunday.
Kerry Carpenter’s grand slam in the fifth inning brought Detroit within a run, but they couldn’t get any closer. Bryan Ramos’ two-run single in a four-run seventh inning helped Chicago regain a comfortable lead.
Detroit secured an American League wild card with a win over the White Sox on Friday night, ending a ten-year playoff drought. They will play at Houston on Tuesday in a best-of-three series, with the winner facing Cleveland in the AL Division Series.
“Baseball, it’s going to take you places and sometimes to places you’ve been,” said Hinch, who was fired by the Astros in 2020 after being suspended by Major League Baseball for using electronics to steal signs during Houston’s 2017 World Series run and again in 2018.
The Tigers finished with a record of 86-76, improving by eight games from last year and marking their first winning season since 2016. They surged by winning 31 of their last 46 games.
“We have all the confidence in the world,” Tigers All-Star outfielder Riley Greene said. “We know we have what it takes. We’re going to go there and show them what we got.”
The White Sox ended the season with 121 losses, breaking the post-1900 record for the most losses, previously held for over fifty years by the 1962 New York Mets. The overall record for losses was set in 1899 by the Cleveland Spiders, who had a record of 20-134.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf called the season “embarrassing” and a “failure,” taking responsibility in a letter to fans during the game.
Chicago won 41 games this season, which is 20 fewer than last year, finishing with five wins in their last six games for their best performance since early May.
The White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol in early August and promoted Grady Sizemore to be the interim manager.
