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For Oakland Athletics fans, this season has been tough. Amid rumors that the team may relocate to Las Vegas, the product on the field has been abysmal. Through 50 games, the team is 10-40. If the Athletics continue along this trajectory, they are at risk of making the wrong kind of history.
Oakland Athletics Are Piling Up Losses
This is the worst team in baseball in 2023. The question now becomes whether they are the worst team ever. That is not the type of history that a team wants to make. The most recent team that was on this path was the 2003 Detroit Tigers and the seasons have started eerily similar.
2003 Detroit Tigers
The 2003 Tigers started even worse than the 2023 Oakland Athletics. They started the season 1-17 after a horrific start. They did rebound and by the end of May were 14-39. This is about where the Athletics are in terms of record. However, with a week left in May, the Athletics could be in worse shape coming out of the month. The Tigers finished 43-119 just missing the 120 losses by the 1962 Mets. The only reason they were able to stave off history was by winning five out of their last six games. These are just the two modern-era teams to rack up losses.
The Worst Team Ever
We have to go back to 1899 to find the team that lost the most games in a season. The Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 that season and still hold the record for most losses in a season. They did it by playing eight fewer games than the modern teams. Next in line would be the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1890 who had a record of 23-113. As of this moment, if the Athletics continue on this pace they will be the third worst team ever and the worst in the modern era. Are they at risk of catching the Spiders?
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The Oakland Athletics Probably Won’t Be The Worst
The winning percentage of the Spiders was .129 which is comically low. In order for the Athletics to have that kind of season, they would have to win about 10-12 games for the rest of the season. While I think the team is bad, I don’t think they are that bad. 135 losses mean only 27 games won. It would have to go completely sideways for the Athletics to only win 17 games for the next four months. However, the fact that this conversation is even happening shows how bleak this season is.
As long as the Oakland Athletics continue to lose, they will be put into these types of conversations. The most losses in the modern era are definitely in play. This will be a subplot of the season to watch for as the season moves into the summer months.
