If the 2023 White Sox had a monument built in their honor, it would already be rust-streaked, crusted over with pigeon shit, and halfway crumbled into Lake Michigan.
Look closely at the crudely-sculpted forms of this concrete monolith and you’ll notice an interesting detail: Pitcher Dylan Cease, his face deadpan and arms tensed with grave concentration, holding the rest of the deteriorating mass from tumbling into the white-capped abyss.
That abyss, of course, is the horrendous milestone of a 100-loss season, which has only occurred four times over a century-plus of Pale Hose history.
Cease, now in his fifth year with the Sox, has punched in dependably over his last few starts, eating up substantial innings and striking out 31 batters in the month of September.