Chicago White Sox: A major reorganization ended the Chicago White Sox’s 30-year connection with their baseball manager. General Manager Rick Hahn and Executive Vice President Ken Williams were sacked Tuesday. Williams led the squad to its lone World Series title in 106 years.
Jerry Reinsdorf addressed the team’s two disastrous seasons, which began with title dreams and concluded with mediocrity in the AL Central. He found it difficult to discontinue working with Williams and Hahn.
Club statement: Reinsdorf “I’ll always consider Ken a son and family. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Ken and Rick for helping the White Sox win the 2005 World Series and make multiple playoff appearances.
After the White Sox made the playoffs in 2000, Williams, 59, became general manager. As a former White Sox and major league outfielder, he brought a player’s and scout’s perspective to his job. He was a rare find in a business increasingly dependent on analytics and Wall Street-trained executives as he set the tone for the club’s front office.
Williams rose to the top in five years, which is remarkable. The 2005 World Series White Sox swept the Astros. This was their first title since 1917’s World Series. With Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras going four games without a run, their postseason ended with an eight-game win streak.
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The White Sox returned to the playoffs in 2008 but missed 12 years. They returned to the AL playoffs after a pandemic ended the 2020 season. Williams became executive vice president in 2012, and Hahn became general manager.
Reinsdorf’s intention to replace Rick Renteria with 76-year-old Hall of Famer Tony La Russa after the 2020 season was controversial. In 2021, the White Sox won 93 games and the AL Central despite media and fan predictions. It got worse the following year.
Due to health issues, La Russa left the team, but the season was over. The season ended with an unimpressive 81-81 record. The 2023 White Sox season was awful, with a 49-76 record entering the week. Pedro Grifol was hired as manager to stabilize the situation.
Reinsdorf noted for his faithfulness, finally understood that an institution required a change after becoming stale and outdated.
Reinsdorf added, “As the adage goes, success drives professional sports. This year has been difficult on many fronts.”
The White Sox will hire a baseball operations manager. By season’s end, they want to have a new human.