DETROIT – They could only avoid it for so long.

After a mini-winning streak that left history aside for a few days, the Chicago White Sox finally succumbed to their 121st loss of the year, the most by any team in a season in modern MLB history.

The record came with a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

“I think the frustration is long before the numbers,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said afterwards. “Again, I think it’s one of those things where you’re not happy either way, but I don’t know if I’d feel any different if we were 115 or 110. It’s still a frustrating year.”

In front of a sold-out Comerica crowd, the Tigers clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2014. Detroit won for the 39th time since the All-Star break, the same total as the White Sox for the entire season.

“Obviously it sucks,” said Garrett Crochet, who started for the White Sox and was given a no-decision on Friday. “We put ourselves in this position early. We had a bad April. We just never dug ourselves out of that hole. We are where we are now because of the way we played, which sucks.”

Chicago’s record losing season included a 21-game skid and two separate 14-game losing streaks. They started the year 1-9, and on May 1 they were 14.5 games out of first place with a point differential of minus 84. On June 1 they were 13.5 games out of fourth place in the AL Central.

“It’s been an extremely difficult year for everyone,” outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “It’s been mentally tough, physically tough. I feel bad for everyone in this room to be a part of this. To see Detroit celebrate, that was just four years ago for us. It’s frustrating. It doesn’t feel good. “

The fall of the White Sox was dramatic. They won 93 games in 2021, as well as an AL Central division title, but then they began their decline.

They finished with a .500 record in 2022, then followed that up with a 101-loss season last season. After a rough start this year, the team traded starter Erick Fedde, closer Michael Kopech and veteran hitter Tommy Pham in July.

It only got worse. The White Sox lost their first 17 games after the All-Star break – part of that AL record-tying 21-game skid.

“It doesn’t sit well with any of us,” Sheets said. “But unfortunately, this is where we find ourselves. It’s the job of everyone in this room to make sure we move forward and never let this happen again.”

The White Sox tied the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a season last weekend when they were swept by the Padres, but they won their last three home games before their historic loss to the Tigers on Friday. Those wins were a glimmer of hope that the White Sox might not immediately own the record, but they had to beat the Tigers to prevent that. It didn’t happen.

Sheets was asked how he felt when the final out was secured for Detroit.

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel about that,” Sheets said. “This whole time, the difference in 120 and 121 isn’t a better season or more success. … Winning three in a row made us think maybe we could do something special and ride it out and win six in a row , and you start to believe in that and think maybe it’s not going to happen.

‘And suddenly, at the last elimination, you realize you’re on the wrong side of history. It hurt a little more than I expected.”

Crochet struck out six in his final outing of the year, but relievers Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard gave up runs in the fifth and seventh inning to secure the 121st loss. Crochet was a bright spot for Chicago, finishing the season with the highest strikeout rate (12.9) per nine innings pitched of anyone in baseball. But his usage was limited because he was a first-year starter and the team simply didn’t have enough behind him.

The team also struggled at the plate. The White Sox rank last in runs scored and have the third highest ERA in baseball. They also played poor fundamental baseball, which led to former manager Pedro Grifol being fired last month.

A somber clubhouse tried to find the positives from what has been a miserable season.

“Everyone in this room knows we’re going to be together for a while,” Sheets said. “We are a young group. It’s not like guys are looking forward to the next phase of their career. Everyone is trying to come together and support each other in this room.

“There’s not a lot of support outside of this room. So we come together and rely on our staff and coaches and everyone around us and support each other.”

Sizemore echoed Sheets’ message. The former Cleveland outfielder has a chance to get the permanent job, but he hadn’t thought about that after Friday’s loss.

“We’re just focused on ourselves and getting better, and we know we can still improve a lot,” he said. “But I think we have the right guys and the right staff to turn this thing around.”