Proof that MLB umpires have it out for the White Sox more than other teams

Have you ever watched a Chicago White Sox game and felt like the team never gets the benefit of the doubt from the umpires?

One of the most frustrating things over the last 2-3 miserable seasons has been watching an already bad roster be further hindered by how the game is called, particularly behind the plate.

Thanks to MLB's challenge system, most of the calls on the bases and in the field can be reviewed and end up being correct. But until ABS challenges go into play in 2026, the home plate umpire still has the ability to impact the game with their calls.

There's nothing worse than watching a player with elite plate discipline like Edgar Quero or Miguel Vargas take a pitch out of the zone just to be called out on strikes. Or when a relief pitcher makes a big pitch on the black to get out of a jam, but doesn't get the call.

New data collected from the 2025 season proves that the Chicago White Sox get screwed over by the umpires more than almost any other team.

Umpires miss calls against the White Sox

With the ABS challenge system being announced this week, MLB content creator and data analyst Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) recently gathered information on which teams have been treated the worst by umpires when it comes to balls and strikes.

Nestico calculated the number of calls that have helped a team, both offensively and defensively this season.

If a White Sox batter takes a pitch in the zone, but it is called a ball, that would be +1 for the team's net score.

With a net score of -129 for the year, the White Sox are 29th in the league. That means that the Washington Nationals are the only team in baseball that has received worse treatment from home plate umpires this season...and it's a pretty close race to the bottom.

Unsurprisingly, the top 12 teams on the leaderboard are all teams that were in playoff contention as recently as this week.

ABS challenges are going to help the White Sox in a number of ways. For one, rookie catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel will be benefited as talented defenders who don't grade well as pitch framers. It will also help the White Sox as a whole, who never get the benefit of the doubt from umpires in games.