The Rockies might not actually lose a record 122 games or more. It’s not that they have been good over the summer, but Colorado has certainly changed the nature of their losing. They have a .380 winning percentage and 30-49 record since the start of June – which again, is bad – but it’s “lose 101 games” bad, not “set a new historical mark for incompetence”. Which is where they were through May, when they had just nine – nine! – wins in their first 58 games.
The thing is, that horrid early start still lingers enough that the Rockies aren’t completely out of the woods yet. If they have a putrid September on par with some of their earlier work in the year, well, any optimism built up from the summer is going to vanish in a hurry. And even a more pedestrian form of poor play could doom them to historical relevancy.
As usual, let’s start with some historical context before comparing Colorado’s current state to the past.
The 10 worst records of the modern era by losses (1901-2024)
1. 2024 Chicago White Sox: 41-121, .253 W%
2. 1962 New York Mets: 40-120, .250 W%
3. 2003 Detroit Tigers: 43-119, .265 W%
4. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117, .235 W%
T5. 2018 Baltimore Orioles: 47-115, .290 W%
T5. 1935 Boston Braves: 38-115, .248 W%
7. 2019 Detroit Tigers: 47-114, .292 W%
8. 1904 Washington Senators: 38-113, .252 W%
T9. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .273 W%
T9. 2023 Oakland Athletics: 50-112, .308 W%
T9. 1965 New York Mets: 50-112, .308 W%
T9. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .272 W%
The Rockies are now 39-98, and on pace for 116 losses. They have been playing ahead of their pace for some time now, but notice that the bottom of that list features four teams with 112 losses: to avoid showing up on a top 10 list like this in the future, Colorado needs to stop at 111 losses, which means they need 12 more wins. Their monthly season-high for wins at this point is 11, and they did that in August, with 29 games on the schedule – there are 25 remaining in the season.
Let’s say they post a .380 winning percentage again, which is where they have been since June. That would come out to a 10-15 record (really, 9.5 wins, but we can round up) for September, which would have the Rockies at 49-113. That would put them at the ninth-worst campaign since 1901, pushing all of those teams tied to ninth at the moment into a four-way split for 10th.
They need their best month of the season, by both wins and winning percentage, to avoid this list. That’s going to be a huge lift before you even look at their schedule, which includes two more series apiece against the Dodgers and Padres, three against the Mariners and six against the Giants, whose season could very well end up over or under .500 depending on how they fare against the Rockies.
As for winning percentage…
The 10 worst records of the modern era by winning percentage (1901-2024)
- 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117, .235 W%
- 1935 Boston Braves: 38-115, .248 W%
- 1962 New York Mets: 40-120, .250 W%
- 1904 Washington Senators: 38-113, .252 W%
- 2024 Chicago White Sox: 41-121, .253 W%
- 1919 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-104, .257 W%
- 2003 Detroit Tigers: 43-119, .265 W%
- 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .273 W%
- 1909 Washington Senators: 42-110, .276 W%
- 1942 Philadelphia Phillies: 42-109, .278 W%
The Rockies managed to win their way off of potential placement on this chart, which is incredible. Their winning percentage is .285, which is horrendous, yes, but manages to avoid the depths of the “better” teams on this list, like the 1942 Phillies, who were at .278.
To avoid making it onto this list is going to be much easier for Colorado than avoiding the all-time losses one, but not necessarily easy: if they win just six games in September, their winning percentage will be .278, tied with those same Phillies. That would be a .240 winning percentage for the month, which would be their worst in some time, so that’s not a given or even necessarily likely. It’s the boundary marker for avoiding the wrong kind of history, however.
While we’re on the subject, here’s a new chart.
The 10 worst run differentials of the modern era (1901-2024)
1. 1932 Boston Red Sox: 43-111, -345 run differential
2. 1915 Philadelphia Athletics: 43-109, -344 run differential
3. 2023 Oakland Athletics: 50-112, -339 run differntial
4. 2003 Detroit Tigers: 43-119, -337 run differential
T5. 2019 Detroit Tigers: 47-114, -333 run differential
T5. 1954 Philadelphia Athletics: 51-103, -333 run differential
T7. 1962 New York Mets, 40-120, -331 run differential
T7. 1936 Philadelphia Athletics, 53-100, -331 run differential
9. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117, -329 run differential
10. 1911 Boston Braves: 44-107, -322 run differential
The Rockies’ run differential, through August, is already worse than all of these at -353. This one can be filed under either “it’s so over” or “we’re so back,” for Colorado, depending on your rooting interests here.
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