Unbelievable Records: Discover the Shocking Worst Season Starts in AL/NL Baseball History!
Ever wonder how disastrously a baseball season can kick off before it’s essentially “game over”? Well, I’ve rolled up my sleeves and sifted through the dusty archives of American and National League history—going all the way back to the dawn of the modern era in 1901—to unearth the worst season starts in MLB history. There’s that old baseball saying: “You can’t win the division in April, but you sure can lose it.” And boy, have some teams taken that to heart… or maybe heartache. Take the infamous 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who set a jaw-dropping 21-game losing streak to start their season. Or the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who somehow outdid some of the most infamously awful squads in history. Yet, despite these epic meltdowns, a comeback isn’t impossible—just don’t start 0-7! I invite you to dive into the numbers, the stories, and the kind of soul-crushing slumps that make baseball so unpredictably riveting. Curious if your team’s name sneaks onto this notorious list? Let’s find out together. LEARN MORE.
We’ve dug into the historical data to discover the worst records to start an American or National League season during the modern era (since 1901).
There’s an old adage in baseball that you can’t win the division in April, but you can lose it.
Sometimes an MLB team can dig itself into such a hole that it’s bound to come up short no matter how well it plays over the five months.
In 1988, the Baltimore Orioles could’ve gone 79-59 in the American League from May 2 to Oct. 2 and still not finished with a winning percentage above .500. The season was all but over for the historically bad 2024 Chicago White Sox after opening the season 3-22.
Those Sox would go on to surpass the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) and 1962 New York Mets (40-120) for the most losses in a season during the modern era (since 1901) at 41-121. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders still have the all-time record at 20-134.
It’s difficult but not impossible to bounce back from a slow start – as long you don’t start 0-7. The 2011 Tampa Bay Rays, 1995 Cincinnati Reds and 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t win the World Series, but they’re the only teams to reach the postseason after an 0-6 start.
We’ve dug into the historical data to discover the worst records to start an American or National League season during the modern era (since 1901).
Hopefully, your team isn’t on the list.
Longest Losing Streak to Start a Season
1. 0-21 – 1988 Baltimore Orioles (April 4-28)
The Orioles opened the 1988 season with an MLB-record 21-game losing streak. And they might hold that for a while, as the next longest skid is the Cubs’ 14-game drought to begin the 1997 season. The 1988 campaign was the O’s worst season since the franchise moved to Baltimore at 54-107 before going 47-115 in 2018, 54-108 in 2019 and 52-110 in 2021.
2. 0-14 – 1997 Chicago Cubs (April 1-20)
It was another dismal start to a season for the franchise that was known as the lovable losers for much of the last century. They wound up tied for the worst record in the National League at 68-94, but would get back to the postseason a year later.
T-3. 0-13 – 1904 Washington Senators (April 14-May 4)
T-3. 0-13 – 1920 Detroit Tigers (April 14-May 2)
Longest Losing Streak at Home to Start a Season
1. 0-17 – 1913 New York Yankees (April 17-June 6)
It’s difficult to imagine any Yankees team opening a season with 17 straight defeats at Yankee Stadium. But the 1913 team wasn’t the juggernaut that we’ve come to know with Ruth, Gehrig and Co. The Yanks finished 57-94 and ahead of only the St. Louis Browns in the AL standings.
2. 0-12 – 1994 Chicago Cubs (April 4-May 3)
The woeful Cubs of the 1990s appear again on this list. The 1994 season began on April 3, but a work stoppage that led to the cancellation of the World Series mercifully ended the Cubs’ season at an NL Central-worst 49-64.
3. 0-10 – 2012 Kansas City Royals (April 13-23)
Perhaps if the Royals knew what was coming, the start to the 2012 season wouldn’t be so bad. Kansas City finished 72-90 that season but 86-76 in 2013, 89-73 with a World Series appearance in 2014 and 95-67 with a title in 2015.
Longest Losing Streak on the Road to Start a Season
T-1. 0-13 – 1969 Houston Astros (April 8-30)
The 1894 Washington Senators dropped 21 on the road to open the 1894 season, but we’re looking at the modern era. After opening the season 4-20, the 1969 Astros won 19 of the next 23 games to turn things around (most of those at home). This Houston team was great at the relatively new Astrodome (52-29) but horrible on the road (29-52).
T-1. 0-13 – 1988 Baltimore Orioles (April 8-28)
Not only did the O’s drop 21 straight overall to open the 1988 season, but they also lost the first 13 on the road. Baltimore lost 22 of its first 24 games away from home en route to a 20-61 road record. Only the 2018 Orioles, who went a franchise-worst 47-115, lost more road games in the history of the franchise (19-62).
T-3. 0-12 – 1960 St. Louis Cardinals (April 12-May 14)
T-3. 0-12 – 2006 Kansas City Royals (April 11-May 3)
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The post Which Team Has Gotten Off to the Worst Start in AL/NL History? appeared first on Opta Analyst.
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