Ozzie Guillen on postgame show: 'I should be embarrassed' for not being hired to manage White Sox

OAKLAND, Calif. — Like everyone else associated with the White Sox former manager Ozzie Guillen is suffering along with the team.

After the Sox’ 20th consecutive loss on Sunday, Guillen, who guided the Sox to their 2005 World Series title, reminded everyone he was interviewed for the manager job in late 2022 before the Sox hired Pedro Grifol.

The Sox were 61-101 in Grifol’s first season in 2023 and were 27-87 entering their game against the Athletics on Monday night.

“That means Pedro is 100 games under .500 from the time he got the job,” said Guillen, who, with Chuck Garfien and Frank Thomas, hosts the Sox pregame and postgame shows on NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ve got to go to [the] psychologist tomorrow. A few years ago, I was happy, man. Now, I’m bitter and weird . . . because I don’t think I was a bad manager, but they picked Pedro in front of me.”

Guillen’s humor and blunt honesty have been his calling cards, both during his managing days and in his current TV career. Thomas laughed throughout his former teammate and manager’s comments.

“I’m drinking a lot,” Guillen said. “I have problems with my wife a lot. The only people who get along with me is my grandkids — I don’t know why. Everybody else, I hate them. I don’t know why. I’m not playing around.”

Guillen reminded viewers he won a winter-ball championship this year, managing Tiburones de la Guaira (Venezuela) to its first title in the tournament of winter-league champions.

“I was like, ‘God, I’m this bad? Holy cow, I should be embarrassed,’ ” he said.

Managers with better records than Grifol’s have been fired, and no one would be surprised if he’s replaced soon, even with the third year of his contract remaining in 2025.

Guillen says he enjoys being near his family with his current job, for which he has received favorable reviews. He last managed in the majors in 2012, guiding the Marlins to a 69-93 record after his eighth and final season managing the Sox in 2011. The Marlins fired him after the 2012 season.

Many in the game believe Guillen deserves another chance to manage, but he said he believes the Sox had little intention of hiring him when he interviewed.

Bush and Leone join team

The Sox selected the contract of left-hander Ky Bush from Triple-A Charlotte and inserted him as the starter for his major-league debut. They also reinstated right-handed reliever Dominic Leone, who had been on the 60-day injured list with inflammation in his elbow.

Bush is the fourth Sox pitcher to debut this season, joining Nick Nastrini, Jonathan Cannon and Drew Thorpe.

Right-hander Prelander Berroa and left-hander Sammy Peralta were optioned to Charlotte. Right-hander Mason Adams was promoted to Charlotte after going 6-13 with a 2.10 ERA for Double-A Birmingham.

History of the worst kind

The Sox are the first team to lose their first 16-plus games of the second half, having broken the mark of 13 set by the 1935 Boston Braves. In addition to trying to avoid their 21st straight loss Monday — the AL record — they also were trying not to join the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (25-89-1) as the only teams to lose 88-plus times in the first 115 games.

This and that

• Analyst Steve Stone has this series off. Gordon Beckham is filling in alongside play-by-play voice John Schriffen.
• Right-hander Mason Adams was promoted to Charlotte after going 6-13 with a 2.10 ERA for Double-A Birmingham.