Colonels of Louisville The 1889 Louisville Colonels have the longest losing streak in official MLB history with 26 games, however the 1875 Brooklyn Atlantics lost 31 straight games in the National Association, which MLB does not consider legitimate. In addition, the Colonels played only 92 games during their record-setting losing streak because they did not join MLB until 1890.
On August 27, 1989, the San Diego Padres broke the Colonels' record with a loss against the Houston Astros. The Colonels finished with 100 losses, which is still a league record.
The Colonels were owned by John O'Donnell, who also owned the New York Mets. O'Donnell is considered the first true big league owner because he was one of the founders of the American League and he managed the team for many years before selling it to William Hulbert. Colonels players were paid $5,000 per season ($ today), which was very high at the time. The team had an operating budget of $40,000 ($ today) and lost $100,000 ($ today).
The Colonels began the 1889 season with 13 wins and 19 losses. They went on to lose every game they played except one against the Baltimore Orioles. The Colonels finished the season with 100 losses, a mark that has never been topped by any major league team.
The greatest losing streak by a reigning World Series champion is 11 games, recorded by the Florida Marlins (now the Miami Marlins) in 1998 and the Kansas City Royals in 1986..
| Team | Detroit Tigers | |
|---|---|---|
| Season(s) | 1975 | |
| Date | Beginning (first defeat) | July 29, 1975 |
| Opponent | New York Yankees | |
| Date | End (first victory) | August 16, 1975 |
The Phillies also had the second-longest sequence of consecutive losing seasons in American professional sports, with 16 straight from 1933 to 1948; the record was held until 2009, when it was broken by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies' previous longest losing streak was 15 games, which they suffered from July 29 to August 14, 1932.
They were leading the New York Yankees 4-1 in the ninth inning of a game played at Philadelphia on May 18, 1932, when Eddie Collins hit a home run to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory. This ended what proved to be the final game of Charlie Gehringer's career. The next day, the Yankees sent Collins, who had been traded to the Phillies before the season began, and cash considerations (a pitcher) to the Yankees for Johnny Lindell and Bill Dickey. The loss was so damaging that the Phillies never recovered, going on to finish last that season with only 66 wins. They have not finished last since then.
In addition to having the second-longest losing streak in MLB history, the Phillies also have the distinction of being the first team to lose four straight opening games. Their first four opponents were all above.500 at the time of their meetings with the Phillies. The 1932 Phillies opened up their season with a four-game loss to the New York Giants.
The Pirates of Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Pirates (USA) set the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for the longest consecutive losing seasons by a franchise from 1993 to 2012. They competed in only two World Series during that period, in 1990 and 1991 — both losses. The previous-longest streak of non-playoff seasons was five years, which the Twins had from 1987 to 1991.
The Pirates first season was 1869. They have the most wins of any franchise that has not made the playoffs once in their history. From 1970 to 1989, they finished last in the league every year except for 1972 when they were second to last. In 1992, they finished with the worst record in baseball (70-92). That same year, they played in a then-record number of games (161).
Their current manager is Clint Hurdle, who took over after John McGraw died in September 2010. He previously managed the Rockies from June 2008 to June 2010. Before that, he coached for six seasons at one point or another with three different teams: the Marlins, Nationals, and Pirates. He was named the National League Manager of the Year in 2009 while managing the Nationals.
Hurdle's career managerial record is 547-567.
List of Major League Baseball's finest season win-loss records The club finished fourth in 1876 with a 39-31 record before capturing the pennant in 1877 and 1878 with records of 42-18 and 41-19. The St. Louis Maroons of the 1884 Union Association had the third-best record, finishing with a 94-19 record (.832)...
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