have won 5 of their last 6 games, but it was all too little too late.

The 2024 White Sox officially set a new record for Major League Baseball futility on Friday in their lost to Detroit, which became they're 100 and 21st of the season.

Just how has a team that only 3 years ago won the American League Central Division title.

>> Fallen so far so fast.

Joining us now to delve into that question, is Lamont Pope White Sox reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks for joining us Thank you.

Okay.

So expectations.

Maybe they weren't that high after 100 and they lost 101 games in 2023.

But this wasn't just bad.

It was bad.

Bad.

What were the factors that sort of created this embarrassment for the White Sox and fans the season.

They did start off the 3.

And 22 and part of that was because of 3 other star players.

>> Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert Junior and Norman Cada.

The each got injured in early April and those are 3 guys in county on to be really important parts that offense.

And so when those 3 guys went out, everyone else on the offensive side just started struggling and trying to do too much kind of compensate for those losses.

It was also situation where if you're taking a look at it with White trying to figure on out what they were going to do as far as wanting when it started with 3 to 22 0nd season.

You know they have a kind of play perfect every single night to to to if they're going a ballgame.

And so.

When they when they started losing just want live.

>> well, I mean do that, you know, they started losing.

It sounds like, you know, it just like a snowball, right?

kind of picked up speed from there.

They made some changes, you know, for you, what was what's it been like?

You know, as a reporter to cover team and this season being around the clubhouse?

>> just announced just didn't astonishing year health effects of this ball club.

As you said, they have this opportunity, the kind of losing after losing one or one games last year, you know, kind of coming back and trying to figure out what they're going to be as ballclub knowing that, you know, the expectations are we're going to love me that this the club that Oriole, knowing that expectations are going to be high, but they had the opportunity to kind of show what they're going to be enough.

But they kind of feel if go on into the All-Star break with 7, 1, loss is the most in Major League Baseball history from out with the 21 game losing streak after and then losing continue having 100 losses by the end of April August.

And then obviously steal 120 losses by San Diego.

And then the one 20st loss there in Detroit.

And we're just looking at some not so good plays by some of the players there as you're talking.

And I know baseball expert, but I can tell that wasn't good.

Are there any positives to take away from this season?

>> From the pitching standpoint, care crochet.

He was their lone all-star.

He made the transition from.

>> A beautifully pitcher to being the starter.

And was really got and then had funny another pitcher who came over from the Korean Baseball organization.

He performed pretty well before going ahead eventually contributed.

But the really weren't all that really were hot and offensive Lee, that he was really struggled their last and several offensive categories.

And so back with Robert Junior.

He was a guy who was an All-Star previously.

He had a down year, struck out a lot guys like Andrew Benintendi eventually had 20 home runs, but he struggled early on in the year.

>> And so he was able to kind of pick later on here.

But we really need to guys like Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Benintendi win.

Those other guys got hurt early in the season.

things up and they were unable to.

And that led to a lot of losses early the season.

>> White Sox owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf sent a letter to fans yesterday.

I think it probably happened when everybody was paying attention to the Bears game.

Here's a little bit of what he had to say.

Quote, by all measures on field performance.

This season was a failure as the leader of this organization.

That is my ultimate responsibility.

There are no excuses.

I want to thank you for continuing to support the team throughout what was an embarrassing season.

You deserved better.

So Ryan Stewart says that he ultimately he accepts the responsibility.

But a lot of the reporting says that he has been a large part of the problem.

Can he turn things around in?

Is that criticism fair?

Yeah.

I think that the criticism is fair.

I think the big thing is no words can only get so far and so like, what are you going far as going to be diving into the analytics is going to be.

>> in international scouting, we're going to be the steps that you take as far as getting this ball club back and going in the right direction of the first thing is trying figure out who the next managers going to You know, names like skip Schumacher appeared Grady Sizemore, who had stepped on.

it's the interim manager after Full.

>> was like, you know, the winds were up and he had the team plane energetically.

You Lou, guys in the clubhouse had a lot of respect for him.

And so he's someone that the teams can sit is under consideration.

But it'll be really interesting to see what direction the ball club goes >> As we mentioned, it was just 3 years ago that the Sox won the NL Central.

One of the most exciting teams in baseball at the time thought to be on the brink of real success head of the fall so quickly in 3 years.

I mean, that's that's the essential thing, right?

And the fact that here's this club that was so young, so talented and it just seemed like injuries put a major factor.

It seems like you're an era when you're depending guys like Mike Honda in Eloy.

>> And Luis to kind of come on through and those guys get injured year in year out.

other guys have to step on up.

And that hasn't been the case.

You know, pet pretty solid pitching.

But other guys in other roles of the bullpen hasn't been all that solid.

You know, guys in different situations.

And so so it's one of those things you those windows closed so quickly in Major League Baseball.

And so you can be on top one second and then where they are right Just just in the And they get a long season to liken feels like, you know, it kind of drags out.

And I'm impressed that, you know, that the players were able to to keep doing it, despite, you know, despite it all.

Reinsdorf said, you know, in his letter to all actually already talked about with the new hiring manager.

But I wanted to ask about the fans actually lot of a lot of them are pointing to the reappointment of Tony La Russa back in 2021.

Is sort the beginning of the problems when he became manager.

Then what's your take on that?

Well, it was surprising when they went that direction.

A lot of people thought it was going to be AJ who now has led the Tigers to the postseason.

But it's situation you know that for sure they did make the playoffs under Tony.

And so.

>> When there were some injuries, there able to overcome, that is make sure they're right around 500, the next 2 or 581 81.

And so, you know, that became a situation where 20 have the health issues.

went over the pinnacle fall.

They had some of that talent still there last year.

And everything.

Just what about on out with one or one last season.

And then this year when end year they knew they had to get off to a solid start, in fact, that they started so poorly.

It sort of snowballed, as you said.

And got to a point where they need to make a change at the manager situation.

And and that's how led to what we were at right now.

All right.

So 2025.

>> hesitant to ask, but expectations, Annie.

>> Not particularly you know, because and I don't know what they're going to his first free agency.

I don't really anticipate them spending a whole lot from from that standpoint.

Your question, who was there all likely be treated as well?

And so it's going situation where you have some young pitchers.

Sean drew for some some young guys that they get the opportunity last year.

they're gonna have a chance again.

But but, you know, also going to be really young and really have to tune