The Chicago White Sox, on pace for the worst record in major league baseball history, fired manager Pedro Grifol, the club announced on Thursday.
In addition to Grifol, the White Sox also announced other coaching changes. Grady Sizemore will serve as the team’s interim manager for the remainder of the 2024 season. Doug Sisson (bench coach), Justin Jirschele (third base coach) and Mike Gellinger (assistant hitting coach) will join Sizemore's staff. The White Sox relieved coaches Charlie Montoyo (bench coach), Eddie Rodriguez (third base) and Mike Tosar (assistant hitting coach) of their duties.
The White Sox finally snapped their 21-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 5-1 win against theAthleticsin Oakland, ending a stretch of futility that had tied an American League record.
The White Sox are a major-league worst 28-89, going through two 14-game losing streaks, and are 1-18 since the All-Star break. They are on pace to eclipse the New York Mets all-time record for 120 losses in 1962.
“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” Chris Getz, White Sox senior vice president, general manager said in a statement. “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.”
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Grifol, who was hired a year ago to replace Tony La Russa after the White Sox went 81-81 in 2022, led the White Sox to a 61-101 record last season last season.
He vowed this year would be different, but instead, they’ve become baseball’s laughing stock.
White Sox players − former and current − have privately ridiculed Grifol. Grifol was left denying a recent Chicago radio station report in which he told his players that if they finish with baseball’s worst record in history, it’s on them and not Grifol and his coaching staff.
“Anybody that knows me, that's been around me for the last year and a half here, knows that's not something I would say,” Grifol told reporters Tuesday. “It doesn't really surprise me. When you're not winning games, things come out that are not true. In this situation, I heard about it but I haven't seen it, so I don't know the exact words. That's something that would never come out of my mouth.
“My mentality and the way I look at things is we're all in this thing together, and I'm the first one to take blame for anything that happens on this team. I'm the manager, right? And I've done that since Day 1. I did it last year. I'll do it again this year. I don't hide away from blame. Blame is what it is. I've got the position, the office, that's the chair. I would never blame our players for this season. That's not my makeup.”
The report, which was confirmed by several players, said that Grifol was mandating batting practice on the field along with running drills.
“There's always exceptions to the rule,” Grifol said. “The exceptions were, if you're hurt, come talk to us and you don't have to go out there. If you need a day, talk to us and you don't have to go out there. When the team needs a day, let's talk about it together, and we won't have to go out there. If none of those apply, then we're out here working as a team together.”
The players response?
“We've lost 80 games, and we're talking about work and work ethic,” Grifol said. “We're talking about work to improve ourselves as individuals and improve ourselves as a team. With the understanding that if there's something going on physically, you don't have to be there, and with the understanding that we can't do this every single day, that we're going to have our days off. …
“The one thing I did tell them is that I want us to get out there and I want us to work together and I want us to work hard, because one thing we cannot do in this type of season is stop working. The work is really, really important. That's really what it basically [was]. In reality, it's no different than what you do every single day, but I wanted to talk about it.’’
Grifol is in the second year of a three-year, $3 million contract.
“I have a contract and my contract says I will, and I'm going to work tirelessly every single day like I'm going to be here next year and five years after. …
“Do I want to be here? Of course, I want to be here. This is what I've dreamed of all my life.”
The dream became a living nightmare.
