There Is Only One Current MLB Franchise With a Cumulative Winning Record Since Game One of Their Franchise.
A lot of baseball fans might wrongly assume that it's the New York Yankees. But they lost their very first game, 3-1, to Washington on April 22, 1903.
Yes, I know there's a dispute about whether the Yankees "moved" from Baltimore after the 1902 season. But, either way, it doesn't matter. The Orioles were terrible in 1901, losing their first five games.
(I have not looked at the National Association, 1871–1875; or the American Assocation, 1882 to 1891 except for the surviving franchises that moved to the National League... no team in the one-year Players League, 1890, managed the feat)
One of only two NL teams around since 1876, the Boston Reds (now the Atlanta Braves via Milwaukee) lost their second game, 20-3, to drop to 1-1.
To round out all but one of the remaining NL clubs prior to expansion in 1962...
The St. Louis Browns (now Cardinals) finished their first season, in the AA in 1882, at 37-43. The franchise moved to the NL in 1892.
The New York Gothams (now San Francisco Giants) finished their first season, in the NL in 1883, at 46-50.
The Brooklyn club (Grays, later Bridegrooms, Dodgers and eventually moving to Los Angeles) finished their first season in the AA in 1884 at 40-64. The franchise moved to the NL in 1890.
The NL expansion Philadelphia Phillies in 1883 finished at 17-81 in their first season.
The Cincinnati Reds were a founding member of the American Assocation in 1882 and won the pennant. But they lost opening day to (Pittsburgh, aka Allegheny City), 10-9.
The Reds beat Pittsburgh the next day, putting each team at 1-1.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh would both join the NL, Pittsburgh in 1887 and Cincinnati in 1890.
Then in 1962 came the New York Mets 🤮 and the Houston Colt .45s.
It took the Mets ten games to get their first victory.
Without discussing how Houston won their first three games, suffice it to say that by April 22nd they had dropped to .500 at 5-5 and finished the season at 64-96.
The expansion 1969 Montreal Expos won their very first game (against the soon-to-be World Champion New York Mets), then dropped their next two. Their sister expansion club, the San Diego Padres, won their first three games before losing their next six.
The NL didn't expand again until 1993.
The Colorado Rockies were shutout by Dwight Gooden and the Mets at Shea on opening day. The Florida (now Miami) Marlins defeated the Dodgers in Los Angeles on opening day before dropping the next two games of the series.
The NL added one more team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, in 1998. On March 31st, they lost their inaugural game to the Colorado Rockies, at home by the score of 9-2.
Now, over to the American League.
The Yankees have already been mentioned. As to the rest...
The Boston Puritans (Pilgrims, later Red Sox) lost on opening day. So did the Philadelphia Athletics. As did the Milwaukee Brewers (later Baltimore Orioles after being the St. Louis Browns). The Cleveland Bluebirds (aka the Blues, later Broncos, Naps, Indians and now finally Guardians) dropped their first game, too.
The Washington Senators lasted nine games above .500 before losing on May 7th to Boston and then the next day to Baltimore.
The Baltimore Orioles, considered a defunct franchise after 1902, won their first two games in 1901 then lost two in a row. They dropped below .500 to 17-18 on June 13th after a 12-0 loss in Chicago.
The Detroit Tigers managed to remain above .500 for a while. In the AL's inaugural season they were above water all year, finishing at 74-61. But a 2-1 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore dropped them 13 games below .500 for the year and exactly to the .500 mark all-time at 103-103. Five games later, after a 8-1 loss in Boston, they stood at 105-106.
And then there's Chicago. The one of eight original American League franchises (nine if you include the "replacement" Yankees) that lasted the longest above sea level.
The Chicago White Stockings 🤮 won the first American League, going 83-53, and were never at or below .500 all season. They were 74-60 in 1902, their cumulative two-season record remaining above .500 throughout both seasons. That put them at 157-113 going into 1903. That season they faltered, finishing at 60-77, dropping all-time to 217-190 but, again, not having dropped to .500 at any point cumulatively. In 1904, they finished third at 89-65.
They remained the only American League club with a cumulative for decades, even after the Black Sox scandal. But by the end of 1935, losing seasons had taken its toll and they now stood at only 20 games above. 500 at 2,638 - 2,618.
But four of the next five season were winning ones. But during World War II, the Dirty Hose were medicore and by the end of the 1946 season, their cumulative franchise record stood at 3,474 - 3,456 - only 18 games above .500.
Then on August 1st, 1947, they took a 8-1 drubbing by the Washington Senators. That put their record for the season at 42-57 and the all-time record at 3,516 - 3,513 - only three games above .500.
However, the team won eight of their next nine. More slumps were to follow, but at season's end they stood at 70-84 - and 3,544 - 3,540 all- time.
But the turning point would come in 1948. And it would happen right out of the gate. Chicago lost their first three games of the season to the Detroit Tigers at home and dropped to an all-time record of .500 on April 24th in St. Louis with a 6-4 loss to the Browns. They now stood at 3,544 - 3,544 all-time. After a split with the Browns in the next two games, they would finally drop to below .500 all-time, losing at home to the Cleveland Indians on April 26th. The Dirty Hose blew a 11-9 lead going into the 9th and lost 12-11 in 14 innings. The deciding blow was a lead off homerun by Eddie Robinson in the top of the 14th. When Chicago got their first two batters on base in the bottom of the inning, future Hall of Famer Bob Feller came in relief tp strike out two and got Jim Delsing to fly out to center. Chicago would finish the season at 51-101, forty-four and a half games behind the eventually World Champion Cleveland Indians.
Expansion came to the American League in 1961.
The Los Angeles Angels (later California Angels, then Anaheim Angels, then The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and now back to the Los Angeles Angels) beat the Orioles on opening day in Baltimore, then dropped two games at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Washington Senators (now Texas Rangers) lost on opening day at home to Chicago, 4-3.
Then there are the expansion teams of 1969.
The Kansas City Royals started out respectable at 4-1. They soon dropped to the .500 mark on April 20th, losing to the Oakland Athletics (formerly of Philadelphia via Kansas City), 5-1. They wouldn't drop to below .500 until the Minnesota Twins (formerly the first Washington AL team known as the Senators) shut them out, 4-0, on April 28th.
The Seattle Pilots (later the Milwaukee Brewers - the second - in the AL before moving to the NL) beat the Angels on opening day on April 8th and dropped to .500 the next day when the lost to the Angels (at that time known as the California Angels). A 6-4 loss to the Twins on April 16th put their record below .500 for the first time, at 3-4.
The American League expanded again in 1977.
The Seattle Mariners (yes, Seattle got a team back) lost at the Kingdome on opening night to the club still known as the California Angels, 7-0.
The Toronto Blue Jays, after clearing the field of snow, defeated the Dirty Hose, 9-5 at home. But dropped to .500 the next day. But the Jays managed to stay at or above .500 until their team bus turned into a pumpkin in a 9-0 loss to Boston on April 24th, dropping their record to 7-8. They managed to get back to .500 on April 27th but it was all downhill from there with a season-ending record of 54-107.
The most recent AL expansion game in 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now just plain Tampa Bay Rays) joined the league. They lost their inaugural game on March 31st to Detroit, 11-6.
And there you have it. How all 30 of the current major league franchises dropped to an all-time record of .500 at some point during their history.
That is, all but one... the Chicago Cubs.
Yes, I know there's a dispute about whether the Yankees "moved" from Baltimore after the 1902 season. But, either way, it doesn't matter. The Orioles were terrible in 1901, losing their first five games.
(I have not looked at the National Association, 1871–1875; or the American Assocation, 1882 to 1891 except for the surviving franchises that moved to the National League... no team in the one-year Players League, 1890, managed the feat)
One of only two NL teams around since 1876, the Boston Reds (now the Atlanta Braves via Milwaukee) lost their second game, 20-3, to drop to 1-1.
To round out all but one of the remaining NL clubs prior to expansion in 1962...
The St. Louis Browns (now Cardinals) finished their first season, in the AA in 1882, at 37-43. The franchise moved to the NL in 1892.
The New York Gothams (now San Francisco Giants) finished their first season, in the NL in 1883, at 46-50.
The Brooklyn club (Grays, later Bridegrooms, Dodgers and eventually moving to Los Angeles) finished their first season in the AA in 1884 at 40-64. The franchise moved to the NL in 1890.
The NL expansion Philadelphia Phillies in 1883 finished at 17-81 in their first season.
The Cincinnati Reds were a founding member of the American Assocation in 1882 and won the pennant. But they lost opening day to (Pittsburgh, aka Allegheny City), 10-9.
The Reds beat Pittsburgh the next day, putting each team at 1-1.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh would both join the NL, Pittsburgh in 1887 and Cincinnati in 1890.
Then in 1962 came the New York Mets 🤮 and the Houston Colt .45s.
It took the Mets ten games to get their first victory.
Without discussing how Houston won their first three games, suffice it to say that by April 22nd they had dropped to .500 at 5-5 and finished the season at 64-96.
The expansion 1969 Montreal Expos won their very first game (against the soon-to-be World Champion New York Mets), then dropped their next two. Their sister expansion club, the San Diego Padres, won their first three games before losing their next six.
The NL didn't expand again until 1993.
The Colorado Rockies were shutout by Dwight Gooden and the Mets at Shea on opening day. The Florida (now Miami) Marlins defeated the Dodgers in Los Angeles on opening day before dropping the next two games of the series.
The NL added one more team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, in 1998. On March 31st, they lost their inaugural game to the Colorado Rockies, at home by the score of 9-2.
Now, over to the American League.
The Yankees have already been mentioned. As to the rest...
The Boston Puritans (Pilgrims, later Red Sox) lost on opening day. So did the Philadelphia Athletics. As did the Milwaukee Brewers (later Baltimore Orioles after being the St. Louis Browns). The Cleveland Bluebirds (aka the Blues, later Broncos, Naps, Indians and now finally Guardians) dropped their first game, too.
The Washington Senators lasted nine games above .500 before losing on May 7th to Boston and then the next day to Baltimore.
The Baltimore Orioles, considered a defunct franchise after 1902, won their first two games in 1901 then lost two in a row. They dropped below .500 to 17-18 on June 13th after a 12-0 loss in Chicago.
The Detroit Tigers managed to remain above .500 for a while. In the AL's inaugural season they were above water all year, finishing at 74-61. But a 2-1 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore dropped them 13 games below .500 for the year and exactly to the .500 mark all-time at 103-103. Five games later, after a 8-1 loss in Boston, they stood at 105-106.
And then there's Chicago. The one of eight original American League franchises (nine if you include the "replacement" Yankees) that lasted the longest above sea level.
The Chicago White Stockings 🤮 won the first American League, going 83-53, and were never at or below .500 all season. They were 74-60 in 1902, their cumulative two-season record remaining above .500 throughout both seasons. That put them at 157-113 going into 1903. That season they faltered, finishing at 60-77, dropping all-time to 217-190 but, again, not having dropped to .500 at any point cumulatively. In 1904, they finished third at 89-65.
They remained the only American League club with a cumulative for decades, even after the Black Sox scandal. But by the end of 1935, losing seasons had taken its toll and they now stood at only 20 games above. 500 at 2,638 - 2,618.
But four of the next five season were winning ones. But during World War II, the Dirty Hose were medicore and by the end of the 1946 season, their cumulative franchise record stood at 3,474 - 3,456 - only 18 games above .500.
Then on August 1st, 1947, they took a 8-1 drubbing by the Washington Senators. That put their record for the season at 42-57 and the all-time record at 3,516 - 3,513 - only three games above .500.
However, the team won eight of their next nine. More slumps were to follow, but at season's end they stood at 70-84 - and 3,544 - 3,540 all- time.
But the turning point would come in 1948. And it would happen right out of the gate. Chicago lost their first three games of the season to the Detroit Tigers at home and dropped to an all-time record of .500 on April 24th in St. Louis with a 6-4 loss to the Browns. They now stood at 3,544 - 3,544 all-time. After a split with the Browns in the next two games, they would finally drop to below .500 all-time, losing at home to the Cleveland Indians on April 26th. The Dirty Hose blew a 11-9 lead going into the 9th and lost 12-11 in 14 innings. The deciding blow was a lead off homerun by Eddie Robinson in the top of the 14th. When Chicago got their first two batters on base in the bottom of the inning, future Hall of Famer Bob Feller came in relief tp strike out two and got Jim Delsing to fly out to center. Chicago would finish the season at 51-101, forty-four and a half games behind the eventually World Champion Cleveland Indians.
Expansion came to the American League in 1961.
The Los Angeles Angels (later California Angels, then Anaheim Angels, then The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and now back to the Los Angeles Angels) beat the Orioles on opening day in Baltimore, then dropped two games at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Washington Senators (now Texas Rangers) lost on opening day at home to Chicago, 4-3.
Then there are the expansion teams of 1969.
The Kansas City Royals started out respectable at 4-1. They soon dropped to the .500 mark on April 20th, losing to the Oakland Athletics (formerly of Philadelphia via Kansas City), 5-1. They wouldn't drop to below .500 until the Minnesota Twins (formerly the first Washington AL team known as the Senators) shut them out, 4-0, on April 28th.
The Seattle Pilots (later the Milwaukee Brewers - the second - in the AL before moving to the NL) beat the Angels on opening day on April 8th and dropped to .500 the next day when the lost to the Angels (at that time known as the California Angels). A 6-4 loss to the Twins on April 16th put their record below .500 for the first time, at 3-4.
The American League expanded again in 1977.
The Seattle Mariners (yes, Seattle got a team back) lost at the Kingdome on opening night to the club still known as the California Angels, 7-0.
The Toronto Blue Jays, after clearing the field of snow, defeated the Dirty Hose, 9-5 at home. But dropped to .500 the next day. But the Jays managed to stay at or above .500 until their team bus turned into a pumpkin in a 9-0 loss to Boston on April 24th, dropping their record to 7-8. They managed to get back to .500 on April 27th but it was all downhill from there with a season-ending record of 54-107.
The most recent AL expansion game in 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now just plain Tampa Bay Rays) joined the league. They lost their inaugural game on March 31st to Detroit, 11-6.
And there you have it. How all 30 of the current major league franchises dropped to an all-time record of .500 at some point during their history.
That is, all but one... the Chicago Cubs.
36-40, F
