The most game lost by a team, the worst record by a team, the most consecutive losses, and other similar records are one of the most asked for items on the Internet. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a record book full of baseball records dealing specifically with games lost by the Major League franchises.
"We've (1962 New York Mets) got to learn to stay out of triple plays." - Mets' Manager Casey Stengel. "This club (1969 New York Mets) plays better baseball now. Some of them look fairly alert." - Mets' Manager Casey Stengel.
Games Lost RecordsGames Lost by a Franchise Records |
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Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Most Games Lost by Each Franchise (Up To Date: March 17, 2024) |
AL | Baltimore Orioles | 10,013 | 1901 - 2024 | ||
Minnesota Twins | 9,876 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Oakland Athletics | 9,766 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Chicago White Sox | 9,491 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Detroit Tigers | 9,491 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Cleveland Guardians | 9,300 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Boston Red Sox | 9,182 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
New York Yankees | 8,080 | 1901 - 2024 | ||||
Texas Rangers | 5,218 | 1961 - 2024 | ||||
Los Angeles Angels | 5,016 | 1961 - 2024 | ||||
Houston Astros | 4,892 | 1962 - 2024 | ||||
Kansas City Royals | 4,547 | 1969 - 2024 | ||||
Seattle Mariners | 3,873 | 1977 - 2024 | ||||
Toronto Blue Jays | 3,700 | 1977 - 2024 | ||||
Tampa Bay Rays | 2,097 | 1998 - 2024 | ||||
NL | Philadelphia Phillies | 11,259 | 1883 - 2024 | |||
Atlanta Braves | 10,876 | 1876 - 2024 | ||||
Pittsburgh Pirates | 10,733 | 1882 - 2024 | ||||
Chicago Cubs | 10,688 | 1876 - 2024 | ||||
Cincinnati Reds | 10,681 | 1882 - 2024 | ||||
St. Louis Cardinals | 10,323 | 1882 - 2024 | ||||
Los Angeles Dodgers | 10,004 | 1884 - 2024 | ||||
San Francisco Giants | 9,937 | 1883 - 2024 | ||||
New York Mets | 5,075 | 1962 - 2024 | ||||
San Diego Padres | 4,648 | 1969 - 2024 | ||||
Milwaukee Brewers | 4,461 | 1969 - 2024 | ||||
Washington Nationals | 4,478 | 1969 - 2024 | ||||
Miami Marlins | 2,608 | 1993 - 2024 | ||||
Colorado Rockies | 2,598 | 1993 - 2024 | ||||
Arizona Diamondbacks | 2,112 | 1998 - 2024 | ||||
Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Games Lost RecordsGames Lost in a Single Season Records |
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Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Most Games Lost In A Season |
AL | 2003 Detroit Tigers | 119 | 2003 | Won 43 | |
NL | 1899 Cleveland Spiders | 134 | 1899 | Won 20 | ||
Most Games Lost In Any Month |
AL | 1909 Washington Senators | 29 | 07-1909 | Won 5 | |
NL | 1908 Brooklyn Superbas | 27 | 09-1908 | Won 6 | ||
1899 Cleveland Spiders | 09-1899 | Won 1 | ||||
1939 Philadelphia Phillies | 09-1939 | Won 6 | ||||
1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 08-1890 | Won 1 | ||||
1908 St. Louis Cardinals | 09-1908 | Won 7 | ||||
Most Games Lost In A Season | Home |
AL | 1939 St. Louis Browns | 59 | 1939 | Won 18 | |
NL | 1962 New York Mets | 58 | 1962 | Won 22 | ||
Most Games Lost In A Season | Road |
AL | 1916 Philadelphia Athletics | 64 | 1916 | Won 13 | |
NL | 1899 Cleveland Spiders | 102 | 1899 | Won 11 | ||
Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Games Lost RecordsConsecutive Games Lost in a Single Season Records |
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Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Most Consecutive Games Lost In A Season | No Ties (20-or-More Straight Losses) (Bold = League Records) |
1 | AA | 1889 Louisville Colonels | 26 | 05-22-1889 | |
06-22-1889 | ||||||
2 | NL | 1899 Cleveland Spiders | 24 | 08-26-1899 | ||
09-16-1899 | ||||||
3 | NL | 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 23 | 08-12-1890 | ||
09-02-1890 | ||||||
NL | 1961 Philadelphia Phillies | 23 | 07-29-1961 | |||
08-20-1961 | ||||||
5 | AA | 1890 Philadelphia Athletics | 22 | 09-16-1890 | ||
10-12-1890 | ||||||
6 | AL | 1988 Baltimore Orioles | 21 | 04-04-1988 | ||
04-28-1988 | ||||||
7 | NL | 1894 Louisville Colonels | 20 | 05-28-1890 | ||
06-18-1890 | ||||||
AL | 1906 Boston Americans | 20 | 05-01-1906 | |||
05-24-1906 | ||||||
AL | 1916 Philadelphia Athletics | 20 | 07-01-1916 | |||
08-08-1916 | ||||||
AL | 1943 Philadelphia Athletics | 20 | 08-07-1943 | |||
08-24-1943 | ||||||
NL | 1969 Montreal Expos | 20 | 05-13-1969 | |||
06-07-1969 | ||||||
Most Consecutive Games Lost From Opening Day |
AL | 1988 Baltimore Orioles | 21 | 04-04-1988 | ||
04-06-1988 | ||||||
04-08-1988 | ||||||
04-09-1988 | ||||||
04-10-1988 | ||||||
04-11-1988 | ||||||
04-12-1988 | ||||||
04-13-1988 | ||||||
04-14-1988 | ||||||
04-15-1988 | ||||||
04-16-1988 | ||||||
04-17-1988 | ||||||
04-19-1988 | ||||||
04-20-1988 | ||||||
04-21-1988 | ||||||
04-22-1988 | ||||||
04-23-1988 | ||||||
04-24-1988 | ||||||
04-26-1988 | ||||||
04-27-1988 | ||||||
04-28-1988 | ||||||
NL | 1997 Chicago Cubs | 14 | 04-01-1997 | |||
04-02-1997 | ||||||
04-03-1997 | ||||||
04-04-1997 | ||||||
04-05-1997 | ||||||
04-06-1997 | ||||||
04-08-1997 | ||||||
04-10-1997 | ||||||
04-12-1997 | ||||||
04-13-1997 | ||||||
04-15-1997 | ||||||
04-16-1997 | ||||||
04-19-1997 | ||||||
04-20-1997 | ||||||
Record | LG | Team(s) | L | Data | ||
Games Lost Records by MLB Teams | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Baseball Almanac presents the Major League Baseball teams who have lost more than one-hundred ten games in a single season in order by most games lost (with links to rosters, stats & schedule):
Team | LG | L | W |
1899 Cleveland Spiders | NL | 134 | 20 |
1962 New York Mets | NL | 120 | 40 |
2003 Detroit Tigers | AL | 119 | 43 |
1916 Philadelphia Athletics | AL | 117 | 36 |
1935 Boston Braves | NL | 115 | 38 |
2018 Baltimore Orioles | AL | 115 | 47 |
2019 Detroit Tigers | AL | 114 | 47 |
1904 Washington Nationals | AL | 113 | 38 |
1952 Pittsburgh Pirates | NL | 112 | 42 |
1965 New York Mets | NL | 112 | 50 |
1889 Louisville Colonels | AA | 111 | 27 |
1898 St. Louis Browns | NL | 111 | 39 |
1932 Boston Red Sox | AL | 111 | 43 |
1939 St. Louis Browns | AL | 111 | 43 |
1941 Philadelphia Phillies | NL | 111 | 43 |
1963 New York Mets | NL | 111 | 51 |
2004 Arizona Diamondbacks | NL | 111 | 51 |
2013 Houston Astros | AL | 111 | 51 |
On September 7, 1896, the Louisville Colonels lost all three games of a tripleheader. On September 8, 1896 they lost both games of a doubleheader making them the only team in Major League Baseball history to lose five games in two consecutive days!
Did you know that the 1950 Chicago Cubs lost a Major League record nineteen doubleheaders? Too easy? Did you know that 1968 Chicago White Sox lost a Major League record forty-four one run games? Still too easy? Did you know that the 1980 Seattle Mariners lost a Major League record eighty-three night games?