OAKLAND, Calif. — Max Schumann hit a two-run single to tie the game in the fourth inning and the Chicago White Sox lost 5-1 to the Oakland Athletics on Monday night, snapping an American League-tying 21st straight loss.
Chicago is on its longest losing streak since the Baltimore Orioles lost 21 straight games in 1988.
The National League record since 1900 is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight games.
The worst record in the major leagues was held by the 1889 Louisville Colonels, an American Association team that lost 26 straight games during a 27-111 season.
Chicago’s final win was in the opener of a doubleheader against Minnesota on July 10, but they fell to 27-88 and were on pace to finish the season with a 38-124 record, their most losses since the National League’s 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134.
The White Sox were held to one or no runs in 32 innings.
Tyler Nevin’s sacrifice fly in the first inning gave the Athletics the lead, but Andrew Benintendi tied the game with a one-run single in the fourth inning against JP Sears (9-8).
JJ Bleday hit a double in the bottom of the inning off 24-year-old left-hander Kai Bush (0-1), making his major league debut, Zach Geroff walked and Darrell Hernais was hit by pitch to load the bases.
Schumann hit a single grounder between the shortstop and third baseman that bounced into left field for a 3-1 lead.
Lawrence Butler hit a home run in the sixth inning against Chad Kuhl, his 16th of the season.
Gerloff added another run in the eighth inning when a pitch from Jared Schuster bounced off catcher Corey Lee’s hands and Schumann struck out, sprinting from first base to score. Lee looked at Gerloff at third base and threw to first baseman Andrew Vaughn for the out, but Vaughn’s throw went past Lee and Gerloff scored.
Sears allowed three hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked one, improving to 5-1 in his last six games.
Austin Adams and Tyler Ferguson combined for four-hit games in just 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Bush gave up three runs on two hits, walked five and struck out three in four innings.
He played college baseball at St. Mary’s University in Moraga.
