On Thursday, the Chicago White Sox announced they fired manager Pedro Grifol. Fresh off the team's second double-digit losing streak of the season, Grifol's dismissal does not come as a surprise, although managerial changes do not often come in August. Chicago did not specify who would take over in the interim.
The organization announced the news via a statement.
“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” said Chris Getz, White Sox senior vice president/general manager, in the release. “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, hired ahead of the 2023 season, posted an 88-189 record over the last season and a half in Chicago. While the White Sox were not expected to compete at a high level last season or this, the team's performance in 2024 has been unacceptably terrible. They went through a 14-game losing streak in the first half of the season and a win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday snapped a separate 21-game losing streak.
It's August 8 and the White Sox have only 28 victories. It's one thing to be a bad baseball team. It's quite another to be historically bad, which is the rarefied air the White Sox currently occupy. After posting the second-longest losing streak in MLB history, there is a real chance they finish with a worse record than the 1962 New York Mets, widely considered to be the worst team of the modern era who finished with a 40-120 record in their expansion season.
Perhaps Grifol's firing will prevent the organization from earning such an ignominious honor. Perhaps not. But change very clearly needed to come in some capacity.
The White Sox will begin their search for a new manager immediately and plan to announce Grifol's replacement after the conclusion of the 2024 season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chicago White Sox Fire Manager Pedro Grifol.
