The White Sox are finally moving on from their manager as they barrel toward the wrong kind of history.
Mired in one of the most miserable seasons MLB has ever seen, Chicago fired Pedro Grifol on Thursday morning as the team sits at 28-89 and 36.5 games out of a playoff spot.
Grady Sizemore was named the interim manager, while bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar were also fired.
The Sox are on pace to lose 123 games, which would break the modern-era record for most losses in an MLB season set by the 1962 expansion Mets, the Lovable Losers who dropped 120 games.
Grifol, 54, led the club to a 61-101 record last year in his first season on the south side.
The White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol on Thursday. AP
A White Sox fan wears a brown paper bag over their head during the team’s game in Oakland on Aug. 6, 2024. AP“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in a statement. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day.
“These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”
Grifol, a former Mets minor league player, was on the Royals’ coaching staff from 2013-22 and was part of the club that won the 2015 World Series.
The White Sox recently tied the American League record with 21 consecutive losses before defeating the Oakland A’s on Tuesday.
They went back to their losing ways Wednesday in Oakland and boast a .239 winning percentage.
Chicago, at the very least, seems destined for the worst season in franchise history after trading Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, Tommy Pham, Eloy Jimenez, Paul DeJong and Tanner Banks at the deadline.
Pedro Grifol had an 89-190 record as White Sox manager. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConThe 1970 team lost 106 games, while the 1932 team that lost 102 games had the worst winning percentage (.325) in club history.
The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics have the worst winning percentage since 1900 at .23504, per ESPN.
If there’s a silver lining for the White Sox, it’s that they should avoid the ignominy of matching the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who lost 134 games; Chicago would have to lose all of their remaining 45 games to tie them.
FanGraphs projects the White Sox to go 18-27 the rest of the season, which would leave them four losses shy of the ’62 Mets at 116.
But no matter how many losses they finish with, the White Sox are a mess, and firing Grifol is one small step toward trying to right the ship.
