The Chicago White Sox are on track to finish with the worst record in modern baseball history, so changes were clearly needed.
On Thursday, the White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol and three coaches, just two days after the team ended a 21-game losing streak that tied the American League record.
The White Sox started the day with a 28-89 record, on track to end the season with a 39-123 record, which would be the worst in major league history since the Cleveland Spiders had a 20-134 record in 1899.
The team broke the losing streak with a 5-1 win over Oakland on Tuesday night but then blew a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss on Wednesday. The 21-game losing streak matched the record set by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who started their season 0-21.
“We know the flaws in this roster,” general manager Chris Getz said. “But with that being said, we expected to win more games — we did. These factors led to the decision.”
Grifol was in his second season as a major league manager and had a record of 89-190.
He was the first manager to be fired this season. Getz mentioned that a replacement will probably be hired from outside the organization after the season, and it would likely be someone who is currently managing in the major leagues.
Grady Sizemore, a major league coach, will step in as interim manager. His first game in this role is set for Friday when the White Sox play the crosstown Cubs.
Sizemore, a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove center fielder with Cleveland, is in his first season as a White Sox coach after previously working as a minor-league instructor with the Guardians and as a coach with the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks in 2023.
The White Sox also dismissed bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez, and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar. They are being replaced by Doug Sisson (bench coach), Justin Jirschele (third base coach), and Mike Gellinger (assistant hitting coach).
The White Sox had already set a team season record with a 14-game losing streak from May 22 to June 6, which was later surpassed by the losing streak 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 had a positive attitude during spring training after the White Sox finished 61-101 in his first season, their worst record since going 56-106 in 1970. However, the optimism quickly faded with a 3-22 start to the season.
“We knew this season was gonna have its struggles based on the roster that we had,” Getz said. “When you make a change, you want to be very certain that it’s going to be effective, and there are a lot of different factors in why a team is underperforming.”
Getz plans to encourage potential candidates by offering the chance to “build something special from the ground up.” However, he doesn’t have a strong history to rely on, being in his first full season after being promoted in late August to replace long-time executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn.
“They have to have faith in the direction of our organization, that message comes from me and certainly others,” he said.
“I’m very confident we’re going to find someone who is going to be a great fit for moving forward, in filling a need that is a high priority for us moving forward. I’m excited to begin this search and I know there’s a long list of worthy candidates.”
