White Sox lose 118th game, waste 9th-inning comeback as Padres win 3-2 on Tatis hit in 10th

 

[September 21, 2024]  By JAY PARIS

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lenyn Sosa hit a tying two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Chicago White Sox lost their 118th game when Fernando Tatis Jr.’s run-scoring double leading off the 10th lifted the San Diego Padres to a 3-2 victory on Friday night.

“He had a good sinker so I stayed away from that,″ Tatis said. “But then he decided to go with the slider and I just stayed back and put the barrel on the ball.”

Chicago (36-118) needs to go 7-1 in its final eight games to avoid the post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets. The White Sox are one loss from tying the American League record set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers and despite the comeback dropped to 0-100 when trailing after eight innings. Chicago is 9-47 since the All-Star break.

The 1899 Cleveland Spiders hold the major league loss record at 20-134.

San Diego (88-66) maintained a two-game lead over Arizona for the top NL wild card.

“We want it more than ever,″ Tatis said. “We are pushing no matter what. We know the numbers, the teams we are playing and there’s a little bit more pressure. But it looks like we can handle it.″

Suarez blew a save for the sixth time in 39 chances, including three of his last six.

Gavin Sheets walked on nine pitches with two outs in the ninth, and Sosa capped a nine-pitch at-bat by diving a 100.4 mph fastball over the middle of the plate into the left-center field seats. It was the seventh triple-digit pitch of the at-bat by Suarez, who reached 100 mph on 12 of 27 pitches.

“Continuing to build confidence. Continuing to show that we can compete with the best teams and we're never out of it,” White Sox interim manage Grady Sizemore said.

Tyler Wade, who entered as a pinch runner in the ninth inning, threw out Bryan Ramos at the plate in the 10th when he tried to score from third on Dominic Fletcher’s grounder to second base off Adrian Morejon (3-2).

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. is doused after hitting a walk off double during the tenth inning of a baseball game to defeat the Chicago White Sox 3-2, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

With automatic runner Brandon Lockridge on second base in the bottom half, Tatis hit an opposite-field drive against Justin Anderson (1-2) that bounced on three hops to the right-center field wall for his second walk-off hit.

Rookie Jackson Merrill hit a two-run double in the sixth off Gus Varland.

“I’m a see-ball, hit-ball guy so I’m not thinking about the other team and what they are trying to throw me,″ Merrill said. “I’m thinking of what I’m trying to do. I just swung at a slider, broke my bat and hit a bloop double.”

Padres starter Joe Musgrove matched his season high of nine strikeouts, allowing four hits in six innings.

“He was tremendous,″ Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “In control the whole way.”

Garrett Crochet gave up one hit in four innings and 52 pitches, striking out eight. He has 203 strikeouts, reaching 200 for the first time, and has pitched 142 innings.

“It's a cool accomplishment,” he said.

Chicago is limiting Crochet's innings.

“He’s gross,″ Merrill said. “Sinker and four-seam cutter that he is dotting. He’s nasty.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: SS Ha-Seong Kim (right shoulder) resumed his throwing program, with no guarantee he’ll return before the end of the regular season.

UP NEXT

White Sox RHP Chris Flexen (2-14, 5.09 ERA) starts Saturday against Padres LHP Martín Pérez (4-5, 4.36 ERA).

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