CHICAGO – As the White Sox’s season unraveled in front of him, first-year manager Robin Ventura kept his cool.

He had plenty of opportunities to blow a gasket watching the Sox’s three-game lead with 15 games to go evaporate. The late-season collapse, aided by mental miscues, inconsistent pitching and silent bats, cost the Sox their first playoff appearance since 2008, ultimately finishing a disappointing second in the American League Central three games in back of the Detroit Tigers.

Yet Ventura, reflecting during the final days of the regular season, didn’t express any regrets. Leading a team few expected to finish .500, let alone contend for the playoffs, the Sox’s 85 wins were the most by a manager in his first season since Gene Lamont in 1992 (86 wins).