The legendary manager Sparky Anderson once said: “Every team wins 54 games, every team loses 54 games, so it’s what you do with the other 54 that count.”
Thing is, he wasn’t technically right. In fact, some of the teams with the worst records in MLB history fell considerably short of that mark.
The 2025 Colorado Rockies‘ historically disastrous start (8-42 through their first 50 games) rekindled the question of which team actually was the worst team in MLB history?
The Rockies might be pretty awful right now, but it feels unfair to put the Rockies on the definitive list of worst MLB teams ever when there’s still plenty of baseball to go in 2025. (Hey, they could still turn things around after all!) Let’s look instead at the teams that posted the worst records in MLB history at season’s end.
The 10 Worst Teams in MLB History
1. Chicago White Sox (2024): 41-121
Turns out, we just need to look to last season to find the worst MLB team in the history of the sport! The Chicago White Sox set the record for most losses in a season in 2024. The team began the season with a 3-22 record, one of the worst starts in the Wild Card era. The White Sox endured two separate losing streaks of 14 or more games and a franchise record 21 game losing streak.
The White Sox also broke the record for earliest elimination from playoff contention once held by a team further down on this list. They lost 71 games before the All-Star break and they were 8-42 against divisional rivals and 16-63 on the road.
Not exactly the breaking stuff coaches are hoping for.
2. New York Mets (1962): 40-120
While they didn’t have as many raw losses as the 2024 White Sox, the ’62 New York Mets have the worst record in MLB history by winning percentage. Unlike other teams that may find themselves near the league average in some facets but not in others, these Mets were the worst in the league across the board.
Winners of a cursed triple crown, the Mets finished last in batting average, team ERA and fielding percentage. The season was chronicled in Jimmy Breslin’s best-selling book titled after a quote from frustrated manager Casey Stengel: “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?”
3. Detroit Tigers (2003): 43-119
From 1994-2005, the Detroit Tigers didn’t finish above .500, and the 2003 season was the peak of their misery. In fact, it took a late season rally of five wins in six games to avoid the fate of the worst record in MLB history.
At the time they were eliminated from playoff contention earlier than any time in the divisional era. One of the worst defensive teams in baseball, they struck nearly 100 fewer batters than the next closest team and poor Mike Maroth led the MLB in losses with 21.
Despite this painful season, just two years later they were in the World Series. You just never know in the world of baseball.
4. Baltimore Orioles (2018): 47-115
Despite their more recent success, Injury-shortened seasons for Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, the worst team ERA in the league and one of the worst on-base percentages in 60 years contributed to this franchise-worst record for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2018 season.
5. Detroit Tigers (2019): 47-114
Detroit’s second appearance on this list, the 2019 Tigers felt the depths of their rebuild after fielding multiple World Series contenders in the 2010s. With Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer gone and Miguel Cabrera in the waning years of his career, the team was without a core and in complete transition. It showed in their rock-bottom 47-114 record that year.
6. Philadelphia Phillies (1961): 47-107
The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies finished last in the National League with a record of 47-107. Their season is marked by a 23-game losing streak, which is still the single longest losing streak in MLB history. They were outscored 133 to 54 during that streak.
7. New York Mets (1965): 50-112
Three years removed from one of the worst seasons in MLB history, the 1965 Mets were once again at the bottom of Major League Baseball. They scored the fewest runs and allowed the most in the 1965 season. The team was managed by Casey Stengel up until 96 games into the season when Wes Westrum took over as manager.
8. Oakland Athletics (2023): 50-112
They got off to one of the worst starts since the 1904 Washington Senators, but thanks to some second half improvements, the Oakland Athletics averted the claiming the title for worst record in MLB history.
They were 29th in batting average, 30th in runs scored, 29th in on-base percentage, 29th in team ERA, and allowed the most runs in Major League Baseball.
While some other losing teams in MLB history have had fan bases show up for their teams, relocation rumors (which proved to be true) irked fans and the team drew under a million fans for the season (just over 10,000 per game) — one of the lowest in Major League Baseball that season.
9. Houston Astros (2013): 51-111
During the worst season in Houston’s franchise’s history, the Astros were swept 18 times during the regular season, finished 45 games out of first place and ended the year with a 15-game losing streak.
Their hitters set a major league record for strikeouts with 1,535. They were shut out 14 times and gave up 10 or more runs in 17 games.
Adding insult to injury, on September 22nd, a game broadcast earned a 0.0 Nielsen rating locally, showing no sampled viewers in Houston as the game aired opposite a Houston Texans football game.
This was Houston’s third consecutive season with 100 or more losses. As the team continued to rebuild, just a few years later they would develop the talent they needed to have deep playoff runs and multiple World Series appearances.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (2004): 51-111
The 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks, just three years removed from their 2001 World Series win were hoping to build on a solid 2003 season. Instead, they collapsed.
Richie Sexson, Luis Gonzalez, and Steve Finley all had injury shortened seasons, and outside of Randy Johnson, who finished second in Cy Young voting and pitched a perfect game during this season, the rest of their starters struggled mightily.
Will the 2025 Colorado Rockies be the next worst MLB team ever?
As the 2025 season progresses, the Colorado Rockies find themselves in unenviable contention for a top spot on this infamous list. Their poor start has baseball analysts tracking their pace and wondering if they’ll join the ranks of baseball’s most futile teams by the end of the season.
The recency of the worst teams in MLB history
Five of the 10 worst records in MLB history have occurred since 2013. Some is poor luck but with greater emphasis on spin rates, contact rate and a financial arms race for the top talent, the teams not in it to win it are definitely not winning it.
Already one of the more difficult sports to map draft picks to future success, teams at the bottom face an uphill battle to refine draft strategy, develop college and high school players and make themselves more enticing to marquee free agents.
While these records represent some of the more humiliating achievements in baseball history, many of these franchises have since found success. The Astros transformed from 2013’s worst team to consistent World Series contenders.
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Can’t wait to see which team ends up breaking the worst-ever season record next? If the Rockies stay on their sad pace this season, the White Sox may not be on top of one of the least desirable lists in baseball much longer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the worst team in MLB history?
By winning percentage, the 1962 Mets have the worst record in MLB history. They finished 40-120. The book Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? chronicled the troubled season and was named after a quote from frustrated manager Casey Stengel.
Which team has the most losses in MLB history?
The 2024 Chicago White Sox set the single-season MLB record for most losses with 121.
What is the worst record to make the MLB Postseason?
The worst regular season record to make the MLB postseason belongs to the 2005 San Diego Padres who finished 82-80 and won the National League West.
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