Pedro Grifol thinks the Chicago White Sox can contend next year. What does the rookie manager see that we don't?
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol stands in the dugout in the second inning of a game against the Cubs on Aug. 15 at Wrigley Field.
So Sox pitchers and infielders conducted the drills like it could make a difference, even while knowing their season basically ended a few months ago. Maybe it will win a game down the stretch, or maybe it was just a show by Grifol to show who’s boss.What we do know is the Sox came into Friday having lost 55 of their 82 games since June 9, when they trailed the Twins by only 3 1/2 games. That’s a .318 winning percentage, which would translate to 111 losses over a season.
The Sox have lost 90 or more games 12 times since divisional play began in 1969. Only once has a 90-plus loss Sox team gone to the postseason the following year — Ozzie Guillen’s 2008 Sox after 90 losses in ‘07.The 1990 Sox won 94 games after losing 92 in 1989 but finished second to the Oakland A’s in the American League West. Most of the rest finished under .500 the next season.