OAKLAND, Calif. — Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer and the Chicago White Sox snapped their American League record-tying losing streak at 21 games on Tuesday night, beating the Oakland Athletics 5-1.
Jonathan Cannon gave up one run over six innings to end his personal drought while helping the White Sox to their first victory since early July.
“It was just really good to get this behind us. I thought we played a clean game today,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Any time you win it’s great. Any time you win when you lose 21 in a row it’s even better. I’m proud of these guys.”
Chicago on Monday matched the longest losing streak since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles lost 21 in a row, falling to the Athletics 5-1. The NL record since 1900 is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight.
The major league low belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels, an American Association team that lost 26 consecutive games during a 27-111 season.Even with the victory, the White Sox did little celebrating. They exchanged high-fives leaving the field then had soft music playing in the clubhouse afterward.
“I think it’s just a sigh of relief,” Cannon said. “We’re all major league players, we got a lot of confidence in ourselves to go out and do our jobs every night. Just wasn’t working out for us. Proud we could put it together tonight. It was a team effort all around.”
Benintendi hit his second two-run home run in three days off a fastball from A’s starter Ross Stripling down the right field line into the stands in the fourth inning. Benintendi also doubled and scored in the ninth.
After Zack Gelof cut the lead in half with his 14th home run of the season in the fourth, the White Sox scored twice in the sixth to pull away.
Brooks Baldwin singled and scored on a wild pitch, and Andrew Vaughn hit an RBI single to make it 4-1.
Cannon (2-5) had been winless in six road starts this season. The rookie right-hander allowed six hits and had five strikeouts with two walks for the win, his first since July 10.
“I think Cannon’s got that ‘it’ factor, and what I mean by that is he’s got that will to succeed,” Grifol said. “It almost looked like this wasn’t going to continue on his watch. That’s what it felt like.”
Dominic Leone and Chad Kuhl retired all six batters they faced, and John Brebbia pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to finish it.
Stripling (2-11) allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
During warmups, Taylor Swift’s song “22” played over the loudspeakers at the Coliseum in a taunting fashion as a crowd of 5,867 danced and sang along.
Chicago, which had last won on July 10 in a doubleheader opener against Minnesota, moved to 28-88. The White Sox have been held to one run or none 32 times this season.
“They played a good, clean game tonight and we didn’t generate any offense,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “For that club over there, I’m sure they’re excited about ending their losing streak and getting a win.”
