OAKLAND, Calif. - The White Sox hadn't won in 21 games and 27 days going into Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics. To say the feeling of winning has become foreign is an understatement for an under-performing team that tied the American League record for consecutive losses Monday.
How's it going to feel, Pedro Grifol, when the White Sox finally win a game?
"I don't know, I haven't felt that in about three weeks," the Sox manager said a couple of hours before sending Jonathan Cannon to the mound in hopes of halting the streak. "I'm sure there will be relief, just get it behind us. Just go play the last 40-something games, whatever we have left. I'll wait until we win a game, and see what it feels like. I'll make sure you're the first guy I tell. I'll buy you a beer."
Grifol must know his job status is precarious, even with a season left on his three-year contract, but he has leaned on his faith and stayed upbeat throughout this most challenging time after getting his dream job before last season.
The Sox (27-88 entering Tuesday) were two wins from the 1961 Phillies' major league record 23-game losing streak and on pace for 124 losses, plenty of defeats to break the 1962 New York Mets' mark of 120 defeats.
While Andrew Benintendi said he didn't know what the Phillies record is, most players seem to.
"Yeah, it's all over social media," reliever Steven Wilson said. "Two more games."
Playing on the field where the Oakland Raiders' Al Davis coined "Just win, baby," the Sox would really, really like to.
Any old kind of win will do.
"We're trying to win one, we don't really care," Wilson said. "We're at 21 in a row, at game 14 we weren't like 'We can't lose 24. It was 'Let's win one today.' ''
The Sox not only had lost 21 in row, they had dropped 24 of the last 25 and 27 of 30, falling to a franchise record 61 games below .500. They were the second team to lose 88-plus times over the first 115 games.
It won't get easier in the final seven weeks. After A's (47-67) the Sox play the Cubs at home Friday and Saturday, host the Yankees (67-46) early next week and then go on the road to play the resurgent Astros (57-55) who started 12-24 and Giants (57-55) who've won nine of their last 12.
The A's (47-67) seemed beatable with Ross Stripling (2-10, 5.64) pitching Tuesday, but no one has been beatable for the Sox.
"You expect to win every day," left fielder Andrew Benintendi maintained. "You prepare to win. Obviously we haven't, but nothing changes as far as preparation."
And how to deal with the unending defeats?
"It's on to the next one for me," Benintendi said. "I can only speak for myself, so, what's done is done. I don't spend any more time thinking about it. A short term memory is something everyone in this game has had for 20 years. Control what you can control and that's today."
But there's no getting around all this losing.
"I mean, it sucks," Wilson said. "I don't really know quite what else to say outside of that. It sucks. I don't know how else to describe it to you."
"Kind of like a broken record at this point," said right-hander Drew Thorpe, who is on the injured list with with a right flexor strain. "Obviously it sucks."