Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The Oakland Athletics have won their 11th game...

After an 11 game losing streak, the A's won one yesterday, making their record 11-45.

In other news, every other team except the Kansas City Royals (17-38) now have more wins than the 1899 Cleveland Spiders. No teams have caught the 1962 Mets yet, but the Tampa Bay Rays are now close (39-17).

Back to the A's, let's see what that does to their futility quest standings. Note that this does not include the Negro Leagues, although it probably should. I will see about adding them in the next week or so as I write these progress reports.

Least Wins

Least wins all time: They are now in 25th place all time, one more win that the 1871 Cleveland Forest Cities (10-19) of the National Association, and one ahead of the 1884 Union Association clubs, the Washington Nationals (12-51), and the Richmond Viginians (12-30).

Least wins since 1876: They stay at 6th all time, ahead of the 1876 National League Cincinnati Reds (9-56) (not the same team as is playing now), and behind the aforementioned 1884 Nationals and Virginians.

Least wins in the American League: They are first. Kansas City Royals are 2nd. The Chicago White Sox (22-34) are third, tied with the 2020 Texas Rangers.

Least wins since 1900: Oakland 1st, Kansas City 2nd. This list is polluted with pandemic teams, at least for wins less than 40.

Least wins all-time for teams > 100 decisions (gets rid of all of the NA/UA teams and the pandemic records): Oakland 1st, Kansas City 2nd, and the notorious 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) is 3rd. The next historical team after them is the 1889 AA Louisville Colonels (27-111). The next current team is the 1897 St. Louis Browns (1897) (now known as the Cardinals). And the next current team since 1900 is the Connie Mack fire sale 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117). They set the standard for tanking!

Lowest Winning Percentage

All-time: The A's (0.1964) are 19th-worst all time, ahead of the 1889 AA Louisville Colonels (0.1957). Somebody should write a book about the hapless Colonels of the last 15 years of the 19th century. They were bad. The A's are ahead of the 1884 NL Kansas City Cowboys (.203).

Since 1876:  A's are 8th worst since 1876, still sandwiched between the Colonels and the Cowboys.

American League: 1st worst all-time, ahead of those 1916 A's (0.235).

Since 1900: Same as AL

All-Time > 100 games: They are 4th, ahead of the Spiders, the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (Pirates), and those same Louisville Colonels. The are ahead of the 1897 St. Louis Browns (Cardinals) (0.221).

Most Losses

Will start tracking this when the A's reach 100 losses. Probably early August at this point. There are 165 teams to date that have lost 100 games; it pretty much happens every year.


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