SAN DIEGO — The Chicago White Sox tied the post-1900 major league record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets on Sunday when the San Diego Padres won 4-2 by rallying for three runs in the eighth inning, capped by a home run by Fernando Tatis Jr.
The White Sox (36-120) had taken a 2-1 lead on home runs by Korey Lee and Miguel Vargas off Yu Darvish, but that lead quickly disappeared in the eighth.
This defeat came a day after the White Sox tied the American League record of 119 losses set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who finished at 20-134, hold the major league record for losses. The 1962 Mets finished 40-120.
The Padres (90-66) clinched their first 90-win season since 2010, when they finished 90-72 but missed the postseason thanks to a brutal September collapse.
The Padres reduced their magic number to one for clinching their third postseason berth since 2020.
The Padres tied the game at 2-2 when Donovan Solano and pinch-hitter Luis Arraez hit consecutive doubles opening the eighth against Fraser Ellard (2-3). Arraez advanced on a wild pitch and scored the go-ahead run on Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly.
Tatis then drove a towering shot into the left field stands, his 20th homer of the season.
White Sox rookie Sean Burke held the Padres to 1 run and 2 hits in 6 innings in just his third big league appearance and second start. He struck out eight and walked one.
Lee, who grew up in northern San Diego County, hit a line shot homer to left with one out in the third, his 11th.
Jurickson Profar tied it when he hit an opposite-field shot to left with one out in the bottom of the inning. It was his 24th, extending his career-best.
The White Sox jumped back ahead on Vargas’ homer to left-center with one out in the sixth, his fifth.
The earliest the Padres can clinch a playoff spot is Tuesday night, when they open a big three-game series at the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres entered Sunday trailing the Dodgers by three games.
Darvish became the first Japanese-born player to reach 2,000 career strikeouts when he fanned Jacob Amaya in the third. With nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings Sunday, he pushed his 12-season MLB total to 2003. He walked 9 while allowing 2 runs and 3 hits.…Read more by BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer
