The Chicago White Sox, who tied an American League record this month with a 21-game losing streak, have fired manager Pedro Grifol and named former All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore as his interim replacement.
Grifol’s firing headlined a series of coaching moves announced Thursday by the White Sox, who have the worst record in the majors at 28-89 and are two days removed from snapping Major League Baseball’s longest losing streak since 1988, when the Baltimore Orioles also lost 21 in a row.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz said there were a “myriad” of factors that went into the decision to fire Grifol, adding that “obviously there was something that was broken.”
“You look at the 2023 season, the 2024 season, winning projections, win-loss projections and how dramatically below we were in the win column … there was underperformance,” Getz said.
The White Sox also fired bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar.
The White Sox ended their record-tying losing streak with a 5-1 victory against the Athletics in Oakland on Tuesday night, then squandered a two-run lead in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss.
Grifol, 54, was hired in November 2022 after Tony La Russa stepped down for health reasons. He promised a sharp brand of baseball but never delivered, as the White Sox went backward under his tutelage — especially last season, when the team was fielding a more competitive roster. Chicago finished 89-190 under Grifol.
Sizemore, 42, joined Chicago’s coaching staff earlier this year after serving as a minor league instructor with the Guardians and a minor league coach with the Diamondbacks. A three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove-winning center fielder, Sizemore played parts of 10 seasons in the majors with Cleveland, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Boston.
Getz said the White Sox would focus on candidates outside the White Sox organization for their managerial search. He said the franchise was open to hiring a manager without previous experience.
The White Sox are headed toward their sixth 100-loss season, which would be the first time in franchise history it has occurred in consecutive years. Their all-time worst winning percentage (.325) was recorded in 1932, when they went 49-102-1, and the 2024 team is well on its way to shattering that futility mark.
