SAN DIEGO — The Chicago White Sox tied the post-1900 MLB 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 Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s towering home run.
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 hold the major league record for losses at 20-134.
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 it at 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 for his 20th homer of the season.
White Sox rookie Sean Burke held the Padres to one run and two hits in six 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 for his 11th of the campaign.
Profar tied the score when he hit an opposite-field shot to left with one out in the bottom of the inning. It was his 24th home run, extending his career best for a season.
The White Sox jumped back ahead on Vargas’ homer to left-center — his fifth of the campaign — with one out in the sixth.
The earliest the Padres can clinch a playoff spot is Tuesday night, when they open a three-game series at the National League West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres entered Sunday trailing the Dodgers by three games.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.