CHICAGO — Andy Ibanez homered and had three RBIs as the Detroit Tigers sent the Chicago White Sox to their 100th loss with a 9-4 victory on Sunday.
Andrew Vaughn doubled, homered and had two RBIs for the White Sox (31-100), who need to go 12-19 to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets, who were 40-120-1, for the modern major league record for most losses in a season. Chicago will fall short of the all-time record held by the Cleveland Spiders, who finished 20-134 in 1899.
In MLB history, only the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who were 29-100-1, reached 100 losses in fewer games than the White Sox.
“We have been talking about it all year. It’s beating a dead horse at this point. We are not where we want to be,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “(Interim manager Grady Sizemore) said it best: ‘Unless you win the last game of the year, it doesn’t matter.’ So, I think everyone has moved on.”
Colt Keith had three hits and three RBIs for the Tigers (65-66), who have won four of five. The two teams will conclude their four-game series on Monday.
Chicago has lost 100 or more games six times in franchise history and in consecutive seasons for the first time. They went 61-101 last season under manager Pedro Grifol, who was fired Aug. 8. Chicago is 3-11 under interim manager Grady Sizemore.
“We know where we are at,” Benintendi said. “We know it’s not good.”
The White Sox dropped a club-worst 106 games in 1970. Their worst winning percentage is .325, when they went 49-102-1 in 1932.
Bryan Sammons (1-1) allowed a run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings for Detroit to earn the victory.
“It wasn’t the most efficient day on the mound,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “But offensively, we did a lot of really positive things.”
Jonathan Cannon (2-8) gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings for the White Sox.
Benintendi and Vaughn hit back-to-back doubles off opener Beau Brieske to put the White Sox ahead 2-0 in the first.
Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter doubled, reached third on center fielder Dominic Fletcher’s fielding error and scored on Keith’s single to cut the lead to 2-1 in the third. Chicago had four errors.
Vaughn hit his 15th homer, a solo shot, off Sammons in the third to increase Chicago’s lead to 3-1.
Zach McKinstry singled, stole second and scored on Parker Meadows’ triple to make it 3-2 in the fourth.
The Tigers scored three runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Carpenter, Keith and Jace Jung hit consecutive singles to tie it before pinch hitter Ibanez grounded into a fielder’s choice and Trey Sweeney singled to bring in the other runs.
“In every inning, you give yourself a puncher’s chance when you are creating opportunities for yourselves,” Hinch said. “That’s what you have to hang your hats on, and just keep grinding.”
Ibanez hit a two-run homer off Enyel De Los Santos in the seventh and Keith added a two-run double in the eighth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.