Two years after setting the MLB record for losses in a season, the White Sox have already matched their 2024 win total and sit atop the AL Central.
6.1 innings of one-run baseball from right-handed pitcher Sean Burke was followed by 2.2 no-hit innings from left-handed reliever Sean Newcomb. A go-ahead solo home run by Miguel Vargas, his 17th of the season, gave the Chicago White Sox a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.
Those three performances propelled the White Sox to victory, securing their ninth consecutive home series win, giving them a 1.0-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, and improving their record to 41-37.
It's a new milestone unlocked for the White Sox. 41 wins doesn't mean much to most teams, but for Chicago, it's a reminder of just how far they've come in two years' time.
The infamous 2024 White Sox finished with a 41-121 record, the most losses in baseball history. Even in 2025, the White Sox didn't pick up their 41st win of the season until August 1, when they were 41-69.
There have been plenty of growing pains during the 2026 season alone, and if the White Sox are truly going to be contenders in the AL Central and AL Wild Card races, they'll need to fix the road woes that have plagued them for the last two months. But just seeing that number 41 in the win column means something to White Sox fans.
A 41-121 record wasn't just deflating. It had White Sox fans feeling like it would be years before they returned to relevance. It was the worst team in Major League Baseball history, and at the time, Chicago didn't have a loaded farm system or an established young core at the MLB level. There were very few reasons for hope.
So how have the White Sox turned things around in just two years?
It starts with turnover. Only four players from that 2024 White Sox team remain on the active roster today: Miguel Vargas, Andrew Benintendi, Davis Martin, and Sean Burke. Erick Fedde was on the 2024 White Sox and is back with the team in 2026, but it hasn't been one continuous stint after he was traded midseason in the deal that brought Vargas to Chicago.
The next step was making smart trades. The Garrett Crochet deal with the Boston Red Sox stands out. The White Sox got four MLB contributors in return, including Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, and Braden Montgomery, all of whom have been part of this 2026 squad.
That trade not only helped the White Sox build up their farm system, but it also established a promising young core of talent within the organization. It gave them structure to build around and a vision they could sell to both free agents and fans.
Then comes free agency. While the White Sox have yet to spend top dollar on the open market, Chris Getz and the front office he has built have done a tremendous job of identifying value and finding undervalued pieces that can help the MLB roster. In 2025, it was players like Mike Tauchman and Adrian Houser who raised the floor for the big league club and, in Houser's case, gave the White Sox an interesting trade chip that helped expand their prospect pool.
Things went to another level before the 2026 season. The White Sox signed Munetaka Murakami, picked up Randal Grichuk after he was discarded by the Yankees, and identified a talent like Tristan Peters, who has already been worth 2.0 fWAR despite the season not even being halfway complete.
Throughout 2025, we also saw improved its overall position with player development. Colson Montgomery arrived at the MLB level and has now hit 41 home runs over his first 146 games. Miguel Vargas had a miserable .387 OPS with the White Sox after being acquired in 2024, and he has since emerged as an All-Star caliber third baseman on pace for well over 30 home runs.
Lastly, the White Sox have prioritized culture. That's something that was clearly lacking with their last core, but this group has genuine clubhouse chemistry. It's a team of players who love the game of baseball and play with their hearts on their sleeves. They pick each other up, embrace the next-man-up mentality, and are unbothered by being underdogs.
Slowly but surely, it's turning White Sox culture into winning culture, and that energy can be contagious for anyone who walks into the room.
Turnover. Trades. Free agency. Player development. Culture. Those are the principles. So when you see that 41-37 record, when you see 41 wins before the end of June, it's not just a moment to remember how bad things once were. It should be a reminder of everything it took to get here. A reminder of everything the White Sox are doing right and of how promising the future still looks.
