Ever since the MLB was established in 1903, there have been certain teams that exceeded all expectations of how bad they could perform in a single season. So here are the 15 worst regular season records in MLB History: (1903 and on)

1962 Mets: 40-120

MLB expansion teams rarely see any success in their first five years as a franchise, but the 1962 Mets put that concept on steroids. 1962 was the Mets’ first and worst franchise season, which was highlighted by a 17-game losing streak in late May. The Mets roster that season was subpar, but not as atrocious as other teams. This roster included a relief pitcher, Craig Anderson, who sported a woeful -2.6 WAR and a 5.35 ERA; thus, the Mets would move a solid five spots down this list had Anderson played like a replacement-level player. That being said, luck did play a pivotal role in this colossal failure of a season, as the Mets’ Pythagorean win-loss record gives them ten more wins than their original record.

2024 White Sox: 41-121

In 2024, the White Sox achieved a feat that no one thought was feasible; fielding the worst record in a 162-game season in MLB history. And the Sox did this after winning 93 games and making the playoffs only three seasons prior. The 2024 White Sox actually had two solid starters, Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde, but their bullpen averaged a -0.1 WAR, blowing plenty of leads. The offense was also abysmal, with a .618 team OPS, and their team-hitting leader recorded a batting average of .254. This White Sox season featured prolific highlights such as a 3-22 start and a 20-game losing streak. At least the White Sox can’t possibly sink any lower than this.

2003 Tigers: 43-119

2003 was near the end of an unfathomable 17-year playoff drought for the Tigers, as their 119 losses gave them the necessary draft capital to finally make the playoffs in 2006. The Tigers began the 2003 season with an abysmal 1-17 start, and things didn’t get much better from there. The starting rotation averaged a 5.61 ERA, hence picking Justin Verlander as the No.1 overall pick in the following draft. Additionally, the 03′ Tigers entered the rare -300 point differential club, becoming one of seven teams to allow 300 more runs than they scored since 1950, home to the A’s, Mets, and White Sox.

2025 Rockies: 9-44

A thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters should be able to field a team that wins at least 20% of their games, but the Rockies front office might be the most dysfunctional in MLB history. The Rockies’ strategies of having multiple GMs, pitching to contact, and refusal to utilize modern analytics, clearly aren’t working. And everyone has known this for years, but these deeply rooted problems have become more apparent than ever during this 2025 season. As of late May, the Rockies are 9-44, on pace for a 28-134 record, the worst single-season winning percentage since 1890, and the second-worst of all time.

1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117

The Philadelphia Athletics actually started the 1916 season with a 13-17 record, but things went steeply downhill from there. From June 3rd to August 8th, the A’s posted a laughably awful 4-56 record. The A’s had even won 99 games two years prior and reached three World Series from 1910 to 1914. Losing 117 games shortly after that successful period is certainly unprecedented, and would not be remotely possible today.

2018 Orioles: 47-115

Just two years removed from an 89-win season and a playoff berth, the Orioles were only expected to be moderately bad in 2018, but they greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations of how low they could sink. The only Orioles player to top a 2.5 WAR was Manny Machado, who got traded midseason due to his team’s lack of any chance to make the playoffs. On most teams, a player with a -3.3 WAR would not be anything close to a starter, but the 2018 Orioles were not most teams. First basemen Chris Davis recorded a horrendous .168 batting average in 470 at-bats, leading to one of the worst single-season WARs in MLB history. The only gain that came from this season was the draft picks of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Kyle Stowers.

1935 Boston Braves: 39-115

The 1935 Boston Braves surprisingly featured the league leader in home runs and runs batted in, Wally Berger, who was a big fish in a small pond playing for a team that lost 115 games. The Braves’ atrocious pitching nullified any offensive success from Berger or his teammates, as all of the team’s eleven pitchers averaged a -1.4 WAR. Not even Babe Ruth could save this team, as the 40-year-old was clearly past his prime, posting a .181 batting average in his short stint with the Braves.

2023 Athletics: 50-112

In 2023, the A’s recorded one of the worst starts to an MLB season, posting a dreadful 12-50 record on June 5th. They also broke an MLB record by playing 28 games to start the season before a starter earned a victory. The A’s were on pace for 131 losses, which would have made the 2024 White Sox look like a successful team. And while the A’s got their act together in the second half of the season to avoid making more history than they already had, they still struggled mightily on both sides of the ball, recording a team OPS of .699 and an ERA of 5.48. It all amounted to the lowest run differential in a 162-game season, with the A’s allowing a whopping 337 more runs than they scored.

1904 Washington Senators: 38-113

1904 was only the fourth year of the Senators franchise and only the second year of the MLB’s establishment, so things were rocky at first. That included the 1904 Senators, who fielded a .251 winning percentage and a -306 run differential for the season. The Senators fired head coach Malachi Kittredge after an abysmal 1-16 start, and the team only slightly improved with their new head coach, en route to the worst winning percentage in MLB history thus far in 1904.

2019 Tigers: 47-114

In 2019, the Tigers were in the midst of a lengthy and seemingly never-ending rebuild, but after 2019, they knew they could only improve from there. A 16-17 record on May 7th gave the false impression of progress for the Tigers before they fell back down to earth, subsequently losing ten straight games and recording a .242 winning percentage for the remainder of the season. The 2019 Tigers offense was one of the worst in recent history, as the stats speak for themselves. Not a single player had an OPS above .790, a home runs total of fifteen, or a stolen base total of seven. Five of their nine starting position players had a negative WAR, and the offense in total averaged a WAR of -6.2.

1952 Pirates: 42-112

After the Pirates started the 1952 season with a 5-28 record, it seemed as though they were destined for 110+ losses. The Pirates actually had the league’s home run leader, Ralph Kiner, in one of the least home run-friendly ballparks. However, the team severely lacked in the contact department, recording a .231 team batting average.

2013 Astros: 51-111

2013 was the third act in a three-season stretch where the Astros won less than 105 games per season. The 2013 Astros were not quite as bad on paper as many other teams on this list, but they were an extremely poorly managed and uncoordinated team. The Astros had multiple league leaders that season; Chris Carter led the league in offensive strikeouts, Jose Altuve led the league in caught stealing and starting pitcher Lucas Harrell led the league in walks. Despite all this, the Astros were only on pace to lose 106 games in mid-September, but they finished the season by losing fifteen consecutive games.

1965 Mets: 50-112

1965 featured a Mets team that lacked pitching depth or offensive output, and it led to a third straight season with over 108 losses. Coaching clearly was not the problem, as the Mets continued to regress after firing manager Casey Stengel with a 31-64 record. They posted an even worse 19-48 record under new manager Wes Westrum. Pitching depth was a major headache for the Mets, as they cycled through sixteen different starting pitchers throughout the season. Offense was the other main issue, as the Mets’ .221 batting average and .604 OPS speak for themselves. Additionally, the team’s offensive leader recorded a batting average of .253.

1909 Senators: 42-110

Similarly to the Mets, the Senators had a rather brutal start to the franchise. No new team wants to play their first eleven seasons without a winning record and losing over 110 games multiple times. The Senators had a certain two-month stretch of the 1909 season where they posted a 7-40 record, which essentially clinched a season with over 110 losses. Even Walter Johnson couldn’t save this team, though he still recorded a 2.22 ERA on 296.1 innings.

1942 Phillies: 43-109

The 1942 Phillies were barely able to avoid losing 110 games in a season, but the Pythagorean win-loss statistic shows that they should have lost 110 games had luck not been on their side. The Phillies had significant struggles on the offensive side of the ball, as they had a team OPS of .595. Power was especially lacking, as not a single player had ten home runs or more. In total, the Phillies‘ starting lineup of position players averaged a WAR of 0.7.