In a milestone that took decades to achieve, a recent baseball team finally surpassed a long-standing record for losses in a season. The record of 120 losses, set over 62 years ago, was beaten by a team now tallying 121 losses. This new record might not last long, given the current circumstances. In a notable game on Sunday, Colorado managed to beat San Diego 9-3, a surprising outcome that momentarily improved their bleak standing. This victory brought the Rockies to a 7-33 record, still only one game above the infamous start by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who commenced their season with 21 consecutive losses. An ironic twist of fate for the Rockies was their 21-0 defeat by the Padres just the day before, mimicking the Orioles’ pattern, but in reverse.
Interestingly, after this weekend’s win, the Rockies decided to part ways with manager Bud Black.
Last year’s Chicago White Sox, who set a record of 41-121, ended up being outscored by 306 runs over the season. In contrast, Colorado, having completed only a small portion of the current season, is already at a negative differential of 128 runs. The White Sox had a similarly dismal start with a 12-28 record in their first 40 games. Despite subsequent losing streaks of 14, 21, and 12 matches, they only managed to surpass the record set by the 1962 Mets. However, they didn’t end with the lowest winning percentage. Although it remains challenging to accumulate such a high number of losses, the modern baseball era seems rife with severely struggling teams. Since adopting the 162-game schedule in 1961, 14 teams have ended a season with at least 110 losses, with a significant share occurring in recent years. Prominent examples include the 2013 Astros, 2018 and 2021 Orioles, the 2019 Tigers, the 2021 Diamondbacks, and last year’s Athletics and White Sox.
In a sense, today’s Rockies belong to this unfortunate club.
Here’s some trivia: Among the seven teams since 1961 that lost at least 110 games, five were new expansion teams trying to establish themselves in the league: the 1962, 1963, and 1965 Mets, the 1969 Expos, and the 1969 Padres. Between 1970 and 2012, however, only two teams reached this level of defeat.
In another managerial shuffle, the Pirates also decided to make a change by replacing Derek Shelton with Don Kelly, with Pittsburgh holding a disappointing 14-27 record. Even with their promising pitcher, Paul Skenes, they managed only a 3-5 record in the games he played. The departures of Black and Shelton raise questions about who might be next. One possibility is Brandon Hyde of the Orioles, who despite leading the team to the postseason in recent years, sees his team struggling at 15-24. Other underperforming teams were either expected to be, have new leadership, or are led by some of the most respected names in baseball who are secure in their positions.
Despite a recent dip in performance, teams like the Brewers and Atlanta have shown potential for recovery. Moving on to a standout player highlight: Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees showcased his talent by hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs in a single game. At 22, Dominguez became the youngest Yankee ever to achieve three homers in one match, replacing a record previously held by Joe DiMaggio by over a century. Another remarkable event occurred with the Phillies. Trailing 5-1 in the eighth inning, a comeback began when Bryson Stott hit a three-run homer, breathing life back into the team. They continued to fight in the ninth inning, managing to tie the game against Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks. The Phillies ultimately triumphed in a 7-6 victory in extra innings. At one point, their win probability was as low as 1.9%, illustrating the impressive nature of their comeback. To satisfy your curiosity, the two teams to record over 110 losses between 1970 and 2012 were the 2003 Tigers and the 2004 Diamondbacks.