A great start for Shane Smith was marred by cold bats and the pesky Royals

The White Sox fell 3-0 to open the four-game series

The White Sox managed to get on base in the first and second with singles from Chase Meidroth and Lenyn Sosa, but were unable to capitalize. Smith fared better than Cole Ragans for the first two innings, despite issuing a single walk to Bobby Witt Jr.

Ragans struggled again in the third inning, racking up his pitches to 66 and walking Miguel Vargas. Smith had a quick third in comparison.

Andrew Vaughn managed a stand-up double after Jonathan India misjudged his line drive right at him in left field in the top of the fourth, but was flanked with outs and then stranded at third by Sosa.

Witt continued to be a pain for the White Sox, this time in the form of a leadoff single to left field. Vinnie Pasquantino struck out for the first out, but Witt stole his second, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Salvador Perez picked up a walk, but not before knocking Steve Stone’s monitor over on a foul ball. Maikel Garcia took advantage of the infield being in, and knocked in a run to put the Royals on the board. Smith regained control, striking out Michael Massey and ending the inning with a ground out from Drew Waters.

Matt Thaiss drew a one-out walk in the fifth, but Ragans collected back-to-back strikeouts, regaining his command.

Kyle Isbel singled on a soft bunt in the bottom of the fifth, and India followed with a single of his own with one out and Witt up. After swinging through two fastballs, Witt got a hold of a changeup and drove in his second run of the game. Vaughn cut down a run with an aggressive throw home on a ground ball, catching India for the second out. Perez ended the inning by grounding out as well.

Smith pitched into the sixth, in the longest outing of his young career, but gave up a walk to start the bottom of the frame and was replaced by Brandon Eisert. The Sox caught a break after a poorly executed pick-off attempt. Thankfully, the missed catch didn’t stray too far and Meidroth was able to regain control to assist in a rundown with Garcia for the second out. Waters walked, putting a runner back on with two outs, but Michael A. Taylor snagged the last out.

With two outs, Will Venable inserted his secret weapon ... Brooks Baldwin? He managed a pinch-hit single. Alas, it was wasted on Thaiss grounding out.

The Royals picked up their sixth hit of the night, a one-out single from India in the bottom of the seventh. But Cam Booser, the first Sox pitcher to keep Witt off base, got the two other outs with ease.

Vargas singled in the eighth with one out, but was caught up in a double play. Caleb Freeman made his major league debut, coming in to relieve Booser, and obtained his first major league strikeout on Salvy. Unfortunately, Freeman followed up with a walk to the base-stealing Garcia and Waters hit an RBI double, giving the Royals a 3-0 lead. At 26 pitches that inning, Freddy Fermin ended the frame on a pop out to Meidroth.

Joshua Palacios tried to keep the ninth inning alive with his 100th career hit, but Sosa couldn’t help and the White Sox picked up their 25th loss.

Futility Watch

White Sox 2025 Record 10-25, third-worst start in White Sox history and tied for 44th-worst start in baseball history. A 10-25 record projects to 46-116 over a full season. A year ago, the White Sox were 8-27.

This is the fourth shutout of the White Sox in 2025. A year ago, the White Sox had already been whitewashed eight times.

All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2025, 19,241 games) 9,604-9,637 (.4991). It’s been 80 games since the White Sox had an all-time winning record.

• 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)

5 games better, in all cases

Race to the Worst Post-1899 Record (1916 A’s, 38-124 adjusted to 162 games) 8 games better