Shane Smith pitched a gem, but the White Sox bats and bullpen stayed cold
The Marlins take game two with a 3-1 win
Shane Smith dominated the Marlins through six innings, but a sleepy offense and ice-cold bullpen ruined the fun. The White Sox lost game two, effectively ending Pope Weekend a day early.
Xavier Edwards started the game for the Marlins with a single, and after a wild pitch and a ground out, he made his way to third. Unfortunately for him, Shane Smith was not messing around and struck out the next two batters.
Andrew Vaughn, fearing for his job with the call-up of Tim Elko, hit a solo home run with two outs to put the White Sox on the board before Edgar Quero ended the inning.
All White Sox fans found Jesus with #SouthSidePope but looks like Andrew Vaughn found his home run swing.
— JT (@southsideJeffT) May 10, 2025
In the third inning, Tim Elko finally got to bat! But it ended in a fly out to center.
Smith continued to mow through batters, but on the other end, his teammates are being blanked by Edward Cabrera. Unfortunately, rookie starter Smith will be on a tight innings leash this season, and after a dominant, scoreless, four-hit effort, he went to the showers.
Sure enough, Steven Wilson took over in the seventh and served up a room-service fastball that Kyle Stowers clubbed out to right, tying the game and stealing the win from Smith.
The eighth inning got even worse for the Sox. Dane Meyers started with a single, and Jordan Leasure was pulled with two outs to avoid pitching to a lefty. Brandon Eisert entered and immediately gave up a walk, followed by a two-run RBI triple.
The ninth could have been just as bad, with Tyler Gilbert issuing two walks — thankfully, they were left on base. But the Sox went down with a whimper after being retired in order.
The good news is that everyone is talking about how bad the Rockies are instead.
Somehow the Rockies might be WORST than the 2024 White Sox bc how is it 19-0 in the 5th?! They’ve already allowed 21 runs this season too
— OVO KEY ひ (@SoupLivingston) May 11, 2025
Futility Watch
White Sox 2025 Record 11-29, tied for the worst start in White Sox history and tied for 35th-worst start in baseball history. An 11-29 record projects to 45-117 over a full season. A year ago, the White Sox were 12-28. Yes, the White Sox have fallen a game worse than last year’s pace at the 40-game mark.
All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2025, 19,246 games) 9,605-9,641 (.4991). It’s been 85 games since the White Sox had an all-time winning record.
Record Since the New Pope Was Revealed as a White Sox Fan 1-1
- Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2024 White Sox, 41-121)
- Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120-1, finished three percentage points worse than the 2024 White Sox)
- Race to the Most White Sox Losses (2024, 121)
- Race to the Worst White Sox Record (2024, 41-121)
4 games better, in all cases
Race to the Worst Post-1899 Record (1916 A’s, 38-124 adjusted to 162 games) 7 games better