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| The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, one of baseball's worst teams ever |
Modern baseball history dates to 1901, when the American League began play. Many National League teams existed before 1901, but that's as far back as I'm going with this series (which will also examine the worst two and three-season stretches in baseball history). For better or for worse, the Cleveland Spiders are long gone, and their 1899 season, in which they went just 20-134 (.130) predates the modern era. You can read more about them here though, if you're interested. The Phillies and Cardinals also had some dreadful seasons in the 1800s, but they won't be included in this series.
In the chart that follows, the sixteen "original" teams are starred (these are the teams that played in 1901). Other franchises are listed with their first year of play. Some of these teams also played in different cities or even under different names at the time of their worst season, I've made note of that too. Also, ties used to be a semi-regular occurrence in baseball, teams in early 20th century would often finish with 3 or 4 of them. I'm ignoring all ties for this series, for what that's worth.
Each Franchise's Worst Season in Modern History:
Team
|
Season
|
W-L (W%)
|
Played As
|
Baltimore Orioles*
|
1939
|
43-111 (.279)
|
St. Louis Browns
|
Boston Red Sox*
|
1932
|
43-111 (.279)
| |
Chicago White Sox*
|
1932
|
49-102 (.325)
| |
Cleveland Indians*
|
1914
|
51-102 (.333)
| |
Detroit Tigers*
|
2003
|
43-119 (.265)
| |
Houston Astros (1962)
|
2012
|
55-107 (.340)
| |
Kansas City Royals (1969)
|
2005
|
56-106 (.346)
| |
Los Angeles Angels (1961)
|
1980
|
65-95 (.406)
|
California Angels
|
Minnesota Twins*
|
1904
|
38-113 (.252)
|
Washington Senators
|
New York Yankees*
|
1912
|
50-102 (.329)
|
New York Highlanders
|
Oakland Athletics*
|
1916
|
36-117 (.235)
|
Philadelphia Athletics
|
Seattle Mariners (1977)
|
1978
|
56-104 (.350)
| |
Tampa Bay Rays (1998)
|
2002
|
55-106 (.342)
|
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
|
Texas Rangers (1961)
|
1963
|
56-106 (.346)
|
Washington Senators
|
Toronto Blue Jays (1977)
|
1979
|
53-109 (.327)
| |
Arizona Diamondbacks (1998)
|
2004
|
51-111 (.315)
| |
Atlanta Braves*
|
1935
|
38-115 (.248)
|
Boston Braves
|
Chicago Cubs*
|
1962 & 1966
|
59-103 (.364)
| |
Cincinnati Reds*
|
1934
|
52-99 (.344)
| |
Colorado Rockies (1993)
|
2012
|
64-98 (.395)
| |
Los Angeles Dodgers*
|
1905
|
48-104 (.316)
|
Brooklyn Superbas
|
Miami Marlins (1993)
|
1998
|
54-108 (.333)
|
Florida Marlins
|
Milwaukee Brewers (1969)
|
2002
|
56-106 (.346)
| |
New York Mets (1962)
|
1962
|
40-120 (.250)
| |
Philadelphia Phillies*
|
1942
|
42-109 (.278)
| |
Pittsburgh Pirates*
|
1952
|
42-112 (.272)
| |
San Diego Padres (1969)
|
1969
|
52-110 (.321)
| |
San Francisco Giants*
|
1902
|
48-88 (.353)
|
New York Giants
|
St. Louis Cardinals*
|
1903
|
43-94 (.314)
| |
Washington Nationals (1969)
|
1969
|
52-110 (.321)
|
Montreal Expos
|
The Angels are the only team to next win less than 40% of their games, which is fairly impressive. The Rockies 2012 mark, while the worst in their history, is the "best" worst record of any National League team. The Angels have played 52 seasons and the Rockies have played 20, so what if we look only at the sixteen original franchises, the ones who were around in 1901? Which of those teams has the "best" worst season? It's the Cubs. And who has the "best" worst record among the eight original American League teams? The Indians. Each of those teams has gone longer without winning a World Series than any other team in their respective league, so it's sort of a fun coincidence that they also share this bit of history.
Nine teams' worst season involved winning less than 30% of their games. Eight of those teams are among the original sixteen, only the Mets have had such a poor season among the expansion teams. The Blue Jays had the worst season of any American League expansion team.
Many teams' worst seasons clump together into a few different eras. Let's take a look at how many of these worst seasons each decade hosted, along with the very worst record by any team in that decade.
Worst Season For Each Decade:
Decade
|
Worst Team
|
W-L (W%)
|
Franchises Whose Worst Record Happened Then
| |
1900s
|
1904 Senators
|
38-113 (.252)
|
4
|
Twins, Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals
|
1910s
|
1916 Athletics
|
36-117 (.235)
|
3
|
Indians, Yankees, Athletics
|
1920s
|
1928 Phillies
|
43-109 (.283)
|
0
| |
1930s
|
1935 Braves
|
38-115 (.248)
|
5
|
Orioles, Red Sox, White Sox, Braves, Reds
|
1940s
|
1942 Phillies
|
42-109 (.278)
|
1
|
Phillies
|
1950s
|
1952 Pirates
|
42-112 (.273)
|
1
|
Pirates
|
1960s
|
1962 Mets
|
40-120 (.250)
|
5
|
Rangers, Cubs, Mets, Padres, Nationals
|
1970s
|
1979 Blue Jays
|
53-109 (.327)
|
2
|
Mariners, Blue Jays
|
1980s
|
1988 Orioles
|
54-107 (.335)
|
1
|
Angels
|
1990s
|
1996 Tigers
|
53-109 (.327)
|
1
|
Marlins
|
2000s
|
2003 Tigers
|
43-119 (.265)
|
5
|
Tigers, Royals, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers
|
2010s
|
2012 Astros
|
55-107 (.340)
|
2
|
Astros, Rockies
|
Only two of the original sixteen teams have had their worst record come since expansion began in 1961, the Cubs and the Tigers. Seven of the fourteen expansion teams have had their worst record in one of their first five seasons, including three who had it in their very first year (Mets, Padres, Nationals/Expos).
Every decade has had at least one team worse than the 2012 Astros. Among completed decades, the 1980s had the "best" worst team. The 2003 Tigers are the only team in the last fifty years to win less than 30% of their games, something that was far more common in the pre-expansion era. I suspect with so many more teams, it's that much harder for any one of them to be that much worse than their competition, so hats off to that Detroit teams, they lost with the kind of old school gusto your grandfather could appreciate.
Of course, while every franchise has a worst season, some franchises have had a whole lot more bad seasons than others. There have been 58 seasons in modern history in which a team won less than one third of its games. Here are all 58 of them, sorted by team.
7: Athletics
6: Braves
5: Red Sox, Twins
4: Orioles, Mets
3: Tigers, Pirates
2: Yankees, Cardinals
1: White Sox, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, Nationals
0: Indians, Astros, Royals, Angels, Mariners, Rays, Rangers, Cubs, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers, Giants
All seven of the Athletics' sub-.333 seasons came while they were still in Philadelphia, which means 18 of these 58 records came from teams playing in the City of Brotherly Love. All six of the Braves sub-.333 seasons came while they were still in Boston, meaning 11 of the 58 worst records came from teams playing there. With 29 sub-.333 seasons between them, Philadelphia and Boston have combined exactly half of the 58 worst records in modern baseball history. On the other end of the spectrum, Chicago has had just one season that bad, despite having had a team in each league since 1901.
Philadelphia pulls in eight of those twenty seasons, five for the Phillies and three for the Athletics. The St. Louis Browns put up three of the very worst records before having their identify changed and being moved to a new city as part of the Witness Protection Program. And three cheers for Boston's National League team, which had a sub-.300 season as the Doves, another as the Rustlers, and another as Braves. Of course, that franchise has also won a World Series in three different cities, so there's that.
There you have it, the worst seasons in modern history, and the worst of every decade, and the worst by every franchise. In Part II of this series, I'll look at the worst back-to-back seasons.
Every decade has had at least one team worse than the 2012 Astros. Among completed decades, the 1980s had the "best" worst team. The 2003 Tigers are the only team in the last fifty years to win less than 30% of their games, something that was far more common in the pre-expansion era. I suspect with so many more teams, it's that much harder for any one of them to be that much worse than their competition, so hats off to that Detroit teams, they lost with the kind of old school gusto your grandfather could appreciate.
Of course, while every franchise has a worst season, some franchises have had a whole lot more bad seasons than others. There have been 58 seasons in modern history in which a team won less than one third of its games. Here are all 58 of them, sorted by team.
Most Seasons With Worst Record in MLB:
13: Phillies
12: Twins
11: Athletics
10: Orioles
7: Pirates
6: Red Sox, Braves, Mets
5: Tigers
4: Indians, Rays, Blue Jays, Nationals
3: White Sox, Mariners, Rangers, Padres
2: Astros, Cubs, Dodgers, Cardinals, Giants
1: Royals, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Reds, Marlins
0: Angels, Rockies, Brewers
Every one of the sixteen original teams has finished with the worst record at least once. The Yankees (1912) and Reds (1934) at just once apiece are both very impressive. I was surprised to see that the Cubs have finished with the worst record only twice in franchise history, and to see that the Royals have held that distinction only once.
Most Seasons With Winning% Below .333:
11: Phillies7: Athletics
6: Braves
5: Red Sox, Twins
4: Orioles, Mets
3: Tigers, Pirates
2: Yankees, Cardinals
1: White Sox, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, Nationals
0: Indians, Astros, Royals, Angels, Mariners, Rays, Rangers, Cubs, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers, Giants
All seven of the Athletics' sub-.333 seasons came while they were still in Philadelphia, which means 18 of these 58 records came from teams playing in the City of Brotherly Love. All six of the Braves sub-.333 seasons came while they were still in Boston, meaning 11 of the 58 worst records came from teams playing there. With 29 sub-.333 seasons between them, Philadelphia and Boston have combined exactly half of the 58 worst records in modern baseball history. On the other end of the spectrum, Chicago has had just one season that bad, despite having had a team in each league since 1901.
Worst Records in Modern History:
Rank
|
Year
|
Team
|
W-L (W%)
|
19t
|
1937
|
St. Louis Browns (Orioles)
|
46-108 (.299)
|
t19
|
1945
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
46-108 (.299)
|
18
|
1939
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
45-106 (.298)
|
17
|
1911
|
St. Louis Browns (Orioles)
|
45-107 (.296)
|
16
|
1909
|
Boston Doves (Braves)
|
45-108 (.294)
|
15
|
1911
|
Boston Rustlers (Braves)
|
44-107 (.291)
|
14
|
1915
|
Philadelphia Athletics
|
43-109 (.283)
|
13
|
1928
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
43-109 (.283)
|
12
|
1932
|
Boston Red Sox
|
43-111 (.279)
|
11
|
1939
|
St. Louis Browns (Orioles)
|
43-111 (.279)
|
10
|
1941
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
43-111 (.279)
|
9
|
1942
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
42-109 (.278)
|
8
|
1909
|
Washington Senators (Twins)
|
42-110 (.276)
|
7
|
1952
|
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
42-112 (.273)
|
6
|
2003
|
Detroit Tigers
|
43-119 (.265)
|
5
|
1919
|
Philadelphia Athletics
|
36-104 (.257)
|
4
|
1904
|
Washington Senators (Twins)
|
38-113 (.252)
|
3
|
1962
|
New York Mets
|
40-120 (.250)
|
2
|
1935
|
Boston Braves
|
38-115 (.248)
|
1
|
1916
|
Philadelphia Athletics
|
36-117 (.235)
|
Philadelphia pulls in eight of those twenty seasons, five for the Phillies and three for the Athletics. The St. Louis Browns put up three of the very worst records before having their identify changed and being moved to a new city as part of the Witness Protection Program. And three cheers for Boston's National League team, which had a sub-.300 season as the Doves, another as the Rustlers, and another as Braves. Of course, that franchise has also won a World Series in three different cities, so there's that.
There you have it, the worst seasons in modern history, and the worst of every decade, and the worst by every franchise. In Part II of this series, I'll look at the worst back-to-back seasons.
The American League did not begin play in 1901. It began in 1894. Modern baseball did not begin in 1901; it began in 2000 when the NL and AL merged into one league.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
DeleteWhile some of the American League teams existed in some form earlier, they were considered minor league teams, and were bound by guidelines that had been established for minor leagues around the country. It was in 1901 that the AL became a "major" league and that year is the one most often cited as the beginning of baseball's modern era.
And while the two leagues did officially merge in 2000, there were no significant rules changes caused by the merger. If I were looking for a more modern date to use as the start of an era, I would probably choose either the addition of wildcard teams in 1994, or the introduction of interleague play in 1997.