David Banks-Imagn Images
All signs point to the White Sox having yet another dreadful season after finishing last year’s firmly in the basement of the MLB standings. The franchise has fallen victim to some embarrassing moments on the field as it struggles to turn things around, and its own grounds crew got in on the action thanks to what unfolded during a rain delay.
It’s been 20 years since the last time the Chicago White Sox won the World Series, and it’s been largely downhill from there for a team that’s only made the playoffs three times since then (all of them were a one-and-done showing).
It seemed like things had started trending in the right direction when Chicago had back-to-back postseason appearances starting in 2020, but that glimmer of hope was quickly extinguished with a downward trend that’s seen the White Sox lose 81, 101, and 121 games over the past three years.
The team failed to make any major off-season moves that suggest things are going to be drastically different in 2025, and while they got a win against the Angels on Opening Day, the White Sox are currently sitting at 1-2 after dropping the first series of the new campaign with a 3-2 loss at home on Sunday.
That contest was marred by the rain delay that went into effect when Rate Field was subjected to a torrential downpour that led to the game being suspended in the bottom of the seventh inning with the teams tied at two runs apiece.
The inclement weather (which also boasted heavy winds and some hail) sparked the delay that ultimately lasted for a grand total of two hours and 48 minutes and spawned an awkward scene courtesy of a grounds crew that was unable to fully deploy the tarp over the infield due to the elements that made their job harder than usual.
I’ve never seen a grounds crew struggle so badly to get the tarp on the field. pic.twitter.com/azuAgy23dR
— Mike (@ChiSoxFanMike) March 30, 2025
There wasn’t really anything the grounds crew could have done given the nature of an intense storm that escalated very quickly once it hit the stadium, but MLB fans couldn’t stop themselves from pointing out the incredibly on-the-nose nature of the contingency plan that led to a bunch of smaller tarps being placed on the dirt in an attempt to salvage things.
The #WhiteSox tarp is absolutely perfect pic.twitter.com/Gq32YUiLj8
— Section 108 (@fromthe108) March 30, 2025
The Angels ended up scoring the game-winning run in the top of the eighth en route to getting a victory in a showdown that ended six hours after the first pitch was thrown.