Tigers 4, White Sox 2: Losing season locked in
It probably was asking too much for the White Sox to win their final 28 games of the season, but on the bright side, the White Sox didn’t guarantee a below-.500 record until the final month of the season.
The White Sox’s 82nd loss of the season was a relatively humdrum one. The White Sox staked Touki Toussaint to the smallest of leads, which he couldn’t quite hold. They tried to rally late, but couldn’t quite do it.
There was a dopey defensive sequence in the sixth inning, but even that paled in comparison to, say, the first inning from the previous game in Baltimore.
The Tigers had just snagged a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning on a two-run single by Riley Greene, and then Toussaint tried to start the sixth. He walked Spencer Torkelson, but after striking out Kerry Carpenter, he gave up an opposite-field single to Miguel Cabrera that put runners on the corners and chased him from the game.
Parker Meadows greeted Sammy Peralta by hitting a pop fly to shallow right field. Lenyn Sosa backpedaled, caught the ball, then flipped the ball as quickly as he could toward home plate in order to keep Torkelson at third.
Torkelson indeed retreated … until Andrew Vaughn failed to smother or otherwise block the short-hop on Sosa’s throw. He deflected it up and away from him, and Torkelson raced home before Vaughn could collect the ball in front of the mound for a 3-1 score. Sosa was charged with the error, but Vaughn could’ve done more.
Almost making matters worse Jake Rogers singled to left to move Cabrera to second with two outs, followed by Zach Short doing the same. The Tigers insulted Andrew Benintendi’s arm by sending Cabrera from second, and while Benintendi’s one-hop throw beat Cabrera with a few strides to spare, Korey Lee almost let Cabrera slide through the five hole before his tag actually touched leg.
In fact, he might’ve. Fortunately for Lee, Cabrera was originally called out, and Cabrera kicked up enough dirt to make the replay inconclusive. That was really the only notable sequence, for better or for worse.
Tim Anderson and Benintendi had decent days at the top of the order, teaming up for both runs. In the third, Anderson drew a two-out walk from Eduardo Rodriguez, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Benintendi’s single to center. In the eighth, Anderson led off with a single, advanced to third on Benintendi’s bloop double inside the left-field line, and scored on Luis Robert Jr.’s sac fly.
The rest of the lineup didn’t summon the same impact, and the bottom of the order gave Anderson and Benintendi nothing to work with. Lenyn Sosa grounded into two double plays, Oscar Colás went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a start against the lefty Rodriguez, and Korey Lee’s batting average fell to .056.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox finished -4 in stolen bases. The Tigers went 3-for-3, including a pinch-running swipe by Akil Baddoo that turned into a run in the eighth inning, whereas Robert was cut down on the Sox’s only attempt.
*Only 15,105 showed up for a holiday-weekend Friday. This was the vibe.
Record: 53-82 | Box score | Statcast
Coming into today, the White Sox were on pace to draw 1,722,667 fans for the season, an average of 21,267 per game. In order to crest 1.7 million for the season, they need to average 19,813 fans the rest of the way. Obviously, today was not a step toward that milestone.
Since winning the World Series in 2005, they have only drawn below 1.7 million in a full season’s worth of attendance four times: 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Those were all rebuilding years. THAT’S how far this team has fallen in just two short years. What was supposed to be the peak of the “window of contention” has functionally turned into a tank year in terms of both record and fan interest.
It’s turned into more than a tank year, but a complete destruction of fan loyalty is many cases. Who wants to follow a team whose only chance of winning is contingent upon the death of the owner, who may be too evil to ever die?
I think a lot of fans won’t be back. I know I won’t. In this world you have to insist on people treating you with respect, or they won’t. And the a-hole, turd douchebag who owns this team doesn’t respect anybody.
This really goes beyond losing, though. The fans have been openly disrespected and gaslit by management for years, and Jerry’s presser just verified how stupid he seems to think we all are. Kenny Williams made a habit of fan-shaming for years and blaming low attendance for his inability to spend (when the team was still drawing over 2 million a season!). Hahn flat-out called any critics of his job performance internet trolls who were happier to see the team fail. Just the most arrogant, tone-deaf people imaginable who kept committing unforced errors with their fan base.
Beyond that, the game day experience just keeps getting worse. Despite mediocre attendance, the queues to enter the park are terrible. The entire infrastructure around the park seems utterly incapable of accommodating a crowd over 30,000 people to a reasonable degree. They’re one of, if not the only team that doesn’t let fans into the 100 level when they’re well below capacity. Season ticket holders lack perks that are considered standard fare for most other teams, and even asks that they pay extra for some of them. The list of affronts goes on.
The worst part is that Jerry is incapable of change. He won’t spend in a manner commensurate with competing in a modern environment. He actually believes his farm system, one of the worst in baseball, has been productive! The only qualification he needs out of key personnel is a familiar face. Things might not necessarily get any better once he’s gone, but fans are resigned to that as their last real hope.
It’s too bad because the weather last night was ideal. But on Fridays the Sox are competing with high school football. As for infrastructure, you got the Ryan and Sox/35th. To get to the lots you have to use city streets, some that go through residential neighborhoods. What can you do about that?
It’s nice to see all the tailgating in the lots, but there is no spending that goes to the neighborhood, unlike around Wrigley. JR gets the cash for parking and others get the money for the fans’ food and drink. Remember: this was intentional. JR didn’t want the old bars across from Comiskey to remain or be relocated.
The last few games there is no restriction at Gate ___ for fans who want to go to Level 100 if they try as they enter the park. I can’t compare to other teams, but the Sox have cut back on a couple of season ticket perks, like GrinderBash, this year.
I’ve made my comments elsewhere about JR.
After watching about 4 games in person the last three weeks or so, I don’t know where Getz starts to revamp this team. It is really just an awful group of players, with maybe 2 exceptions on the roster. And although Robert is really talented physically, he doesn’t know the game or situational hitting. He often goes down on three pitches when there are guys on. And all the Sox seem incapable of staying in the strike zone. They are suckers for sliders and change ups.
JR said in his pre-presser that he likes Getz because he teaches baseball the right way. I see no evidence of that on the field.
I don’t want to renew my tickets. Mrs. Elder does. Her high school is no more and so this team is the last remaining link to her Southside childhood. JR never got that about Sox fans.
Did he say he teaches baseball the right way, or just teaches baseball?
So it sounds like this season would be considered a success by an ownership group incentivized to keep attendance below 1.9 million (?) based on the terms of the lease.
I don’t know that I’d say that as they may still make more money with higher attendance, it would be more accurate to say that they are compensated for or less hurt by falling attendance.
Another way to say it is that there is not a line between success and failure but a zone of indifference between them and that zone expands and shrinks based on the attendance clause of their lease.
Ok, but that’s long and while maybe precise it also lacks the pithy punch that I was going for.
True, yours packs more punch. I should never step in when somebody is delivering blows to the owner of the WS.
For the last time, there is ZERO incentive for lower attendance. If it exceeds 1.9 million, Jerry still does not pay any taxes on the first 1.9 million, period. He makes less profit on fans beyond that, but it’s still profit.
It sounds like you are really frustrated with people like me who just don’t understand because we’re too stubborn or stupid
I look forward to seeing the complaints from the poor bastards that still show up.
Godspeed, you righteously angry maniacs.
While the season might be lost, at least we get to see the promoted minor league prospects demonstrate the winning baseball they’ve learned from Getz and Branch Rickey’s ghost:
“ Lenyn Sosa grounded into two double plays, Oscar Colás went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a start against the lefty Rodriguez, and Korey Lee’s batting average fell to .056.”
What did the sign say?
I think…something about 42 years of membership, and 7 playoffs appearances. JR must go.
42 years of ownership. 7 playoff appearances. Jerry Reinsdorf must go.
Here’s a good picture.
One of those Sosa double plays, the Detroit SS actually bobbled the ball, got our guy at 2B (Vaughn?) and the Detroit 2B got Sosa. How slow are these guys? Getz should have a mandatory forty yard drill this month and get times before winter vacation.
This bumbling idiot is going to be our manager again next year. If the range of potential managers goes from Daryl Boston (worst) to Rowan Atkinson (best), Pedro Grifol is really way down towards to D Bo end of the spectrum.
Not only is Grifol incompetent, but he’s also arrogant. He is Jerry’s perfect manager. This clip where he is responding to criticism is telling: https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/mlb/chicago-white-sox/white-sox-videos/pedro-grifol-responds-to-criticisms-on-retaining-manager-position/504682/ . I can’t stand this guy.
Edit fail
He’s awful. To me he’s so bad that I can’t even remember previous bad managers.
He is that bad that I rather we still had TLR.
to Crosscheck oneself as a manager means going through the motions regardless of results. AND THAT’S WRONG. Evaluate your damn self you damn fool and how you manage. No wonder he’s awful in performance as he doesn’t think anything is wrong since those above him are keeping him in place. what a freaking broken tool. How will he ever get better at managing if he has no idea how to hold himself accountable? f this guy.
Per Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports Johnny Dipuglia – Wash Nats’ Asst GM and director of International Scouting resigned as Mike Rizzo’s assistant.
According to the article, “It may be that DiPuglia’s resignation prior to the end of the season gives him more time to seek out his next job, and he’ll hit the open market with a strong resume”.
Any conspiracy theorists out there want to take a blind leap ??
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/09/nationals-assistant-gm-johnny-dipuglia-resigns.html
Strong resume? Means he’ll have non-White Sox choices for employment, which means he ain’t coming here.