Unveiling MLB’s Most Infamous Team: Which Franchise Holds the Record for the Worst Season Ever?

When an organization decides to strip it down, trade older key players and go young in an effort to boost the farm system and start over, there’s always a danger that things might go a little bit worse than it expected.
Following their loss in the 1914 World Series, the A’s set a precedent for losing. Did they finish with the worst record in MLB history? And who finished with the most losses in a single season?

On the hitting side, the A’s ranked dead last with a .244 batting average and .300 OBP. Nicknamed the “Pathetics,” the A’s wouldn’t have a winning season until ‘25 or even make the postseason until ‘29.

But where do these teams stand when it comes to the worst MLB seasons? We take a look back at the most forgettable campaigns of the modern era (since 1901; minimum 60-game seasons).

The Athletics established themselves as a dynasty in the early years of the 20th century. Led by manager Connie Mack, they took home the American League pennant six times, and in three of those years (1910, 1911, and 1913), they won the World Series.

Anyone following baseball knows hitting the 100-win mark is impressive. And equally as impressive is hitting triple-figure losses in an MLB single season.

The White Sox endured separate losing streaks of seven, 12, 14 and an American League-record 21 games.

Worst Records in MLB History

1. 36-117 (.235) – 1916 Philadelphia Athletics

The A’s pitchers combined for an ERA of 3.92, close to a run higher than the second-worst team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Not only did they have more than three losing streaks of 10 or more games, but the A’s ended this horrendous season 40 games back from the Cards (and the Cincinnati Reds who shared their record).

That was the case with the 2024 White Sox, who set a new single-season record for losses with a 4-1 loss at Detroit on Sept. 27. However, they won five of their last six games to avoid becoming the team with the lowest winning percentage in the modern era.

Five years earlier, the Baltimore Orioles ended their season 60+ games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. In 2011, the Houston Astros dropped over 100 games and continued this trend the next two seasons. In 2003, the Detroit Tigers nearly lost 120 games. And did we mention the 2024 Chicago White Sox?

2. 15-47 (.242) – 1923 Milwaukee Bears

With MLB’s inclusion of the Negro Leagues into its history books, the league has been using a minimum 60 games for full-season team records. So the Bears make their way onto this unfortunate list despite only playing 63 games in 1923.

3. 38-115 (.248) – 1935 Boston Braves

Ever wonder what it feels like to set a record nobody’s proud of? Following their 1914 World Series heartbreak, the Philadelphia Athletics didn’t just lick their wounds—they pioneered a whole new standard for losing in Major League Baseball. Is it possible they hold the record for the absolute worst season in MLB history? And if not them, who else has endured the kind of crushing defeats that come with 100—or even more—losses in a single season? Baseball fans know hitting 100 wins is a badge of honor, but dropping 100 losses? That’s a rare breed of infamous. Think about the silence in nearly empty stadiums, the kind so thick pitchers have to hush their signals just to keep the hitters guessing. From the dismal starts of the 2023 Oakland Athletics to the historic futility of the 2024 Chicago White Sox, the stories of baseball’s most forgettable seasons reveal the cruel dance between hope and heartbreak. Join me as we dive deep into these legendary collapses—where the numbers tell tales both sobering and oddly fascinating. LEARN MORE.

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T-4. 21-63 (.250) – 1927 Memphis Red Sox

It’s safe to say the Mets had a disappointing inaugural season, beginning their tenure as a franchise by losing their first nine games. At one point, they dropped 17 straight, which was just six shy of the longest losing streak in MLB history set by the Phillies a year before. And as the icing on the cake, they had a horrendous team ERA of 5.04 – about half a run above the next-worst team.

T-4. 40-120 (.250) – 1962 New York Mets

Even more notable is the fact that no other modern MLB team has lost 120 games in a season (but with 119 losses, the 2003 Tigers came close). However, the Mets did find their footing relatively quickly, both making the playoffs for the first time and winning the World Series just seven years later.

Though Ruth was at the peak of his decline, only one of his teammates, Wally Berger, hit more dingers than he did (and was the National League’s leader with 34). On the date of Ruth’s retirement, the Braves were 9-27 and only went on to win 29 more games throughout the rest of the regular season.

6. 38-113 (.252) – 1904 Washington Senators

The post Which Team Finished With the Worst Record in MLB History? appeared first on Opta Analyst.

The Senators were no exception to the player-manager phenomenon of the early 20th century. In 1904, catcher Malachi Kittridge tried his hand as a skipper. But after the team’s dismal 1-16-1 start, he was relieved of his coaching duties. And his replacement, outfielder Patsy Donovan, was not much of an improvement (at least as manager for the Senators).

7. 41-121 (.253) – 2024 Chicago White Sox

Once again, the A’s make the list as they continued their disastrous play to close out the decade. Despite a consistent string of losing seasons, Mack remained at the helm (and ultimately kept his role as skipper of the baseball team until 1950).

Not a single pitcher on the team had more than 10 wins, and they combined for a league-worst 4.26 ERA. In fact, five of the team’s starting pitchers made the top-10 list for most losses in the league. 

Babe Ruth had big but ill-fated managerial ambitions. In 1935, he was brought to the Braves as a player-manager (and as a partial owner). But after a combined 21 seasons with the Red Sox and Yankees and four World Series championships, he was no longer in his prime. Like the team, he struggled, ultimately retiring midway through the season with a paltry batting average of .181 and only six home runs.

These Red Sox finished second-to-last in the Negro National League standings in 1927. In fact, they were one of the division’s perennial bottom-feeders until finally winning it in 1938.

8. 36-104 (.257) – 1919 Philadelphia Athletics

Brutal seasons often lead to nearly empty stadiums, where the silence can be so deafening that pitchers have to lower their PitchComs to prevent hitters from hearing them.

Such was the case for the Oakland Athletics at the start of 2023 when their cricket-inducing attendance in the Coliseum (aside from a handful of “reverse boycotts”) was not helped by a historically terrible start.  

Following their loss in the 1914 World Series, the A’s set a precedent for losing. In the 1915 season, they went 43-106. They fell even further to an atrocious .235 winning percentage in 1916, the worst season in the modern era (the 1899 Cleveland Spiders have them beat with a .130 winning percentage).

• 9. 16-46 (.258) – 1926 Cuban West Stars
• 10. 43-119 (.265) – 2003 Detroit Tigers
• 11. 32-88 (.267) – 2025 Colorado Rockies (ACTIVE)
• 12. 42-112 (.273) – 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
• 13. 42-110 (.276) – 1909 Washington Senators
• 14. 42-109 (.278) – 1942 Philadelphia Phillies
• T-15. 43-111 (.279) – 1932 Boston Red Sox
• T-15. 43-111 (.279) – 1941 Philadelphia Phillies
• T-15 43-111 (.279) – 1939 St. Louis Browns

While the pitching staff was not terrible, the team’s hitters struggled. They homered only 10 times, combined for a league-low average of .227, and ranked last with a meager .288 OPS. The run support was so non-existent that three Washington pitchers had 20+ losses despite owning sub-4.00 ERAs. 
In terms of a tear down, Chicago was a great success. There wasn’t much left heading into the 2024 campaign to begin with, then the team traded Dylan Cease before the opener and Paul DeJong, Eloy Jimenez, Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, Tommy Pham and others at the deadline. Ace Garrett Crochet, one of the only bright spots as the team’s lone All-Star, remained but had to go on an innings limit in the second half of the season.