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White Sox watch: A rare walk-off win puts the brakes on history for now

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White Sox watch: A rare walk-off win puts the brakes on history for now

The 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games, setting the record for the most defeats in a single season in modern baseball history. The 2024 Chicago White Sox are on pace to supplant the Mets as the worst team ever. As the season winds down, we’ll track their efforts to avoid infamy.

Chicago’s seemingly inevitable march toward the all-time loss record took a break on Saturday. Instead, it was a hit parade on the Southside, with the 16th and final knock coming on an Andrew Benintendi walk-off homer in a 7-6 victory.

Chicago’s bullpen blew two separate three-run leads, including one in the ninth inning. But the offense made their struggles moot. It was their first home win since Aug. 12.

This beleaguered bunch will still need to win nine of its final 13 games to avoid equaling the 1962 Mets’ 120-loss mark. And eight wins to avoid setting the record itself.

Another game against the Athletics, and six chances against lowly Angels present an opening for the White Sox to make a last-minute miracle push to avoid infamy. Don’t forget, the 2003 Detroit Tigers won five of six to end their season and finish with only 119 losses. Perhaps the record books provide the most motivation.

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The White Sox won their second consecutive game that Chris Flexen pitched. That’s significant mostly because they’d lost his previous 20 games started. He navigated through traffic over five scoreless innings.

Chicago posted seven singles in the first two innings off Oakland starter J.T. Ginn. Gavin Sheets added a solo home run.

It looked like this game would follow a familiar pattern. The A’s immediately scored three off reliever Chad Kuhl. But Enyel De Los Santos stabilized the effort, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Justin Anderson blew another three-run lead in the ninth.

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But Benintendi was clutch all day. He posted two tie-breaking hits, including the game-winner.

In any down season, a losing team at least hopes it sees growth in certain areas. When you’re 81 games below .500, however, sustained growth is inherently elusive.

Saturday might not have represented growth. But at least their home fans got to celebrate a win, finally. — Sam Blum

Current pace: 125 losses

Games remaining: 13

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Wins needed to avoid equaling the ’62 Mets: 9

Next game: Sunday vs. Oakland. LHP JP Sears 11-10, 4.18 ERA (A’s) vs. RHP Sean Burke 0-0, 0.00 ERA (White Sox)

Sept. 13: Shutout loss puts Chicago within six losses of MLB record

The roles were supposed to be reversed. If you asked any casual baseball fan at the beginning of the year which team would enter this mid-September series — Oakland A’s versus Chicago White Sox — looking to avoid the loss record, the answer would have been Oakland.

Preseason expectations weren’t high for the White Sox, to be sure. Just ask their GM. But it was Oakland coming off a 110-loss season, amid a chaotic off-field storm.

Instead, it’s Oakland building an exciting young core. And the White Sox are counting down the days until the season ends. Their relevance is tied directly to their futility. A 33-115 record leaves their club six losses shy of solo ownership of the record.

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This 2-0 defeat wasn’t a blowout. Zack Gelof doubled home a run in the fourth. Brent Rooker gave the A’s some insurance an inning later with a two-out single. Chicago’s pitching held up, but its offense couldn’t scratch out a run.

Out of context, it was just a regular game — unlike many mammoth blowouts that populate their schedule.

In context, however, it added to their unwelcome history.

The White Sox lost their 16th consecutive home game, spanning more than a month. They dropped to 5-26 in the Grady Sizemore era. They tied the 2018 Baltimore Orioles and the 1935 Boston Braves for the fourth-most losses since the creation of the American League in 1901.

In an alternate universe, it’s the A’s desperately trying to avoid infamy. In this world, however, it’s the White Sox who are seemingly resigned to it. — Sam Blum

Current pace: 126 losses

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Games remaining: 14

Wins needed to avoid equaling the ’62 Mets: 10

Next game: Saturday vs. Oakland. Athletics RHP J.T. Ginn (0-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. White Sox RHP Chris Flexen (2-14, 5.26 ERA)


Sept. 11: Rally falls short in 15th consecutive home loss

The White Sox have gone an entire month without a home win.

Way back when, somewhere around the Mesozoic Era (OK, it was Aug. 12), Chicago bludgeoned the New York Yankees, 12-2. Since then, it’s been one loss after another, one step closer to history every time the White Sox take the field. The latest edition included a pair of two-run infield singles by Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas in a 6-4 defeat on Wednesday afternoon that sealed Cleveland’s three-game sweep.

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An error and a balk helped fuel a four-run White Sox outburst, but like the previous two games of the series, they never grabbed hold of a lead. They have lost 15 consecutive games at Guaranteed Rate Field, and 27 of 28.

The White Sox now sit at 33-114. Since their inception as a charter member of the American League in 1901, only five teams have recorded more losses in a season: the 2018 Baltimore Orioles (115), the 1935 Boston Braves (115), the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (117), the 2003 Detroit Tigers (119) and the 1962 New York Mets (120).

With the first-place Guardians reluctantly leaving town, the White Sox will welcome the Oakland Athletics to the South Side for a three-game series this weekend. Chicago dropped two of three in Oakland in early August. — Zack Meisel


Sept. 10: Loss No. 113 comes in 17th shutout of season

CHICAGO — Before Tuesday’s game, a White Sox executive jokingly asked two reporters to try using “record-setting” before the team name instead of a less-flattering description. Well, the record-setting White Sox did it again Tuesday, setting a new record for consecutive home losses with 14. Of course, they broke the record they set Monday night.

Their 5-0 loss to Cleveland was also their 26th defeat in their last 27 home games.

It’s starting to become a trend.

Led by Lane Thomas’ three-run homer off Sox reliever Gus Varland in the sixth, Cleveland sent the White Sox to their 113th loss, home or away, of the season. This was the 17th time this season they’ve been shut out. They are eight losses away from surpassing the modern-day loss record of the 1962 Mets, and the only drama now is whether they can win three games between now and Sept. 24 so they can set the record in their final home series.

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The Sox are 18-56 at home and their last victory at Guaranteed Rate Field was an improbable 12-2 clobbering of the New York Yankees on Aug. 12. Their previous home victory was against the Twins in the first game of a doubleheader on July 10. The Sox responded with 21 straight losses, tying the American League record.

Before the game, the Sox called up right-hander Sean Burke, who made his major-league debut. He struck out three in two scoreless innings before the Guardians got an unearned run off him in the ninth. The error was his own, coming off an off-target pickoff throw.

Burke, a third-round draft pick in 2021, was supposed to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but instead is the 62nd player the White Sox have used this season, extending a club record. — Jon Greenberg


Sept. 9: Loss No. 112 comes as Guardians pitcher flirts with perfection

CHICAGO — The White Sox, who have scored 104 fewer runs than any other team, have proven to be an elixir for any struggling pitcher. That now includes Cleveland Guardians rookie Joey Cantillo, who retired the first 20 Chicago hitters he faced Monday and dealt the White Sox their 112th defeat.

Cantillo registered an 8.47 ERA in his first four spot starts, but in Cleveland’s 5-3 victory, he struck out 10 and kept the White Sox off the bases until Andrew Benintendi’s two-out single to right in the seventh.

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Strangely, the White Sox have notched more wins against the first-place Guardians (five) than against any other opponent this season. Their loss Monday, however, marked their 13th in a row at home and 25th in their last 26 games at Guaranteed Rate Field. They sit only eight losses from tying the 1962 Mets’ dubious mark. They sit 40 1/2 games out of fourth place in the five-team American League Central. — Zack Meisel

(Top photo of Andrew Benintendi: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images)

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Navy tops Army with late touchdown as Trump’s attendance in Baltimore sparks protests

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Navy tops Army with late touchdown as Trump’s attendance in Baltimore sparks protests

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For the second year in a row, the Navy Midshipmen have won the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

The Midshipmen earned a gutsy 17-16 victory over Army in one of the greatest rivalries in sports.

Navy got out to a scorching-hot start, as they scored a touchdown on their first drive, with Blake Horvath rushing for 45 of the 75 yards on the drive and running in for the score. He also had an 11-yard pass.

 

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President Donald Trump greets players after the coin toss and before the start of the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium, Saturday, in Baltimore, Md. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Army, though, answered right back with an identical drive, going 13 plays for 75 yards — this one ended with Cale Hellums punching one in.

Navy’s offense was stalled for a long while after, as their next three drives ended in a punt, fumble, and interception. In the meantime, the Black Knights were able to tack on three more field goals to go up, 16-7. Late in the third, the Midshipmen finally added more points on the scoreboard with a field goal that cut their deficit to three.

Early in the fourth, Navy forced an Army interception. Navy had the ball at the goal line but fumbled on a quarterback sneak, losing seven yards. Horvath hit Eli Heidenrich in the end zone, though, and the ensuing kick gave the Midshipmen their first lead since the first drive of the game. 

Navy promptly forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with less than five minutes to go. Navy lost a fumble when trying for a first down that would have iced the game, but the play was reviewed, and the call was reversed. Thus, Navy had a fourth-and-1 and kept the offense on the field. They got the first down that iced the game.

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US President Donald Trump tosses a coin before the college football game between the US Army and Navy in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 13, 2025.  (Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images)

CHICAGO RADIO HOST RIPS CUBS PLAYER FOR TURNING POINT EVENT ATTENDANCE, LIKENS IT TO ‘NAZI-ADJACENT PEP RALLY’

With the win, Navy earned the Commander-in-Chief trophy by also defeating Air Force earlier in the year.

The game was its usual old-school ground-and-pound style of football, as there were only 24 pass attempts compared to 86 runs.

President Donald Trump attended the game for the seventh time, and his second in as many years since being elected again. Trump participated in the coin flip, but not before protesters wielded lewd signs opposing Trump on the street leading up to the stadium. 

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Protests were expected for the game in the blue city, as Trump has suggested sending the National Guard to Baltimore to help address the city’s rampant crime. Baltimore consistently ranks among U.S. cities with high crime rates, often appearing in the top 5 for violent crimes, especially homicides and robberies. 

U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd-L) walks onto the field for the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. The teams are competing for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, with President Trump attending the rivalry for the second consecutive year.  (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The protests against Trump also come on the same day that officials said two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed in an ambush attack in Syria. 

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Jarred Vanderbilt hoping for an opportunity to help Lakers on defense

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Jarred Vanderbilt hoping for an opportunity to help Lakers on defense

Perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt and his ability to defend can help the Lakers and their reeling defense.

Perhaps Vanderbilt can return to the rotation to help the Lakers’ defensive woes while guard Austin Reaves is out for approximately a week because of a mild left calf strain.

And perhaps Vanderbilt and the Lakers can get some immediate results for shoring up their defensive shortcomings when they face the Suns in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.

The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt is hopeful that his opportunity will come against the Suns and he turns that into a positive for the Lakers.

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“Oh, yeah, I’m pretty eager,” he said after practice Saturday. “I mean, obviously, I think a lot of the stuff we lack, I think I can help provide on that end.”

In the last 10 games, Vanderbilt had only a three-minute stint against the Philadelphia 76ers because Jake LaRavia took a shot to the face that loosened a tooth.

The return of LeBron James and Vanderbilt’s offensive deficiencies left him out of the rotation. During much of that time the Lakers were winning, which meant Vanderbilt spent time on the bench.

In 15 games, Vanderbilt is three for 10 (26.6%) from three-point range. He was asked how he has been handling things.

“Good,” Vanderbilt said. “Controlling what I can control. Keep showing up to work, doing my part, supporting the team.”

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Vanderbilt was asked if coach JJ Redick or any assistants have spoken to him about his role.

“Kind of here and there, I guess,” Vanderbilt said.

Vanderbilt was seen after practice Saturday working with an assistant coach on his shooting, just like he did after practice Friday and like he has done while not playing.

Redick said Reaves, who played against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, wasn’t sure when the calf became an issue, and “we’re obviously gonna be cautious with it.”

“It’s a mild strain, Grade 1, and he’ll be out for a week,” Redick said, adding, “I would venture to say every player is a little bit different, but players now are becoming more cautious — to use that word again — more cautious when they get those diagnosis with the calf. Everything looks clean. It’s not in the deep part.”

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The Lakers have looked at the last 10 games during the film sessions as a barometer for their defensive problems. But in reality, the Lakers have not been very good on defense all season while producing a 17-7 record because of their stellar offense.

“It’s been a trending thing even when we was winning, so I think like you said, the defense still wasn’t there, but we was just outscoring everybody,” Vanderbilt said. “So, I think obviously during the loss, it’s an appropriate time to address certain things just so it won’t keep lingering and get worse.”

The Lakers are 18th in the NBA in points given up (116.8), 22nd in opponents’ field-goal percentage (48.1%) and 27th in opponents’ three-point shooting (38.2%).

They will face a Suns team that defeated them Dec. 1 at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were unable to stop Collin Gillesipie, who had 28 points and was eight for 14 from three-point range, and Dillon Brooks, who had 33 points.

It hasn’t gotten better in the ensuing days. The Spurs loss was the Lakers’ third in the last five games.

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“Nobody likes to go watch film after you get your ass kicked,” guard Marcus Smart said. “It’s tough because the film never lies. And it exposed us a lot, which we already knew. We were just winning a lot of games. So it was mitigated that way, but it was straight to it: We have to be able to guard.

“The scouting report against us is we’re not guarding people. And if we want to be great in this league and do what we’re trying to do, you have to be able to guard, especially in the West. These guys are no joke, and they’re coming. And especially [if] you got the Lakers across your jersey. They’re definitely coming with everything they have. So you can’t be expecting any surprises. And that’s what it was. It wasn’t no sugarcoating anything. It was, ‘This is what we got to do.’ We’ve been asked. Let’s fix it.”

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Michigan football staffer who had alleged affair with Sherrone Moore still employed by university

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Michigan football staffer who had alleged affair with Sherrone Moore still employed by university

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The football staffer who allegedly had a romantic relationship with fired head coach Sherrone Moore is still employed by the University of Michigan.

The woman has served as Moore’s executive assistant. 

“There is no change in her employment status,” a Michigan spokesperson told Fox News. 

The woman received a massive pay bump between 2024 and 2025.

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Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears via video in court in Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 12, 2025. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)

The individual allegedly linked to Moore, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as an executive assistant to the head football coach at the University of Michigan, made just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. In the 2025 fiscal year, though, her salary jumped to $99,000, according to a salary disclosure report from the University of Michigan.

During Moore’s arraignment Friday, prosecutors alleged he and the staffer had been in an “intimate relationship for a number of years,” which they say the woman ended on Monday. Prosecutors further claim Moore sent multiple text messages and made phone calls that prompted the woman to report the situation to the university and cooperate with its investigation.

Moore was released from jail Friday on $25,000 bond, according to police records obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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However, it’s unclear whether Moore will be returning home to his family. 

Moore’s attorney, Joseph Simon, declined to say whether the coach will be going home to his wife and three children while speaking to reporters at an Ann Arbor courthouse Friday. 

FIRED MICHIGAN COACH SHERRONE MOORE ACCUSED OF STALKING VICTIM ‘FOR MONTHS’ IN POLICE DISPATCH AUDIO

“I’m just going to not answer that question,” Simon said when asked if Moore was “going to be able to go home.”

Moore has been married to wife Kelli since 2015, and they have three daughters together — Shiloh, Solei and Sadie. Simon also declined to comment on the “mood” of his client after Moore was charged. 

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The conditions of Moore’s release require him to wear a GPS tether and continue mental health treatment and forbid him from communicating with the victim.

Moore was fired Wednesday, and the University of Michigan quickly announced it found credible evidence he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer. Moore was then detained by police Wednesday after news of his dismissal broke. 

Moore was arraigned in court Friday on stalking and home invasion charges. According to prosecutors, he faces a felony charge of home invasion in the third degree and two misdemeanor charges of stalking and breaking and entering without the owner’s permission.

Both misdemeanor charges are related to a “domestic relationship.”

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Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore during warmups before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field in Chicago Nov. 15, 2025. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

When Moore was fired from his position as head coach, prosecutors said, it prompted him to visit the woman’s home. 

Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of kitchen scissors and began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.” 

Prosecutors claimed Moore “terrorized” the staffer and that they believed him to be a “risk to public safety.” 

Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.

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