Which team has the worst start in MLB history?
Which team has the worst start in MLB history? With the Cincinnati Reds off to a historically abysmal start, baseball fans are asking themselves if this is indeed the worst start that a team has ever had.
At 3-22, the Cincinnati Reds are on pace to win only about 30 to 35 games this season. A record like that could very well earn them the worst record in MLB history. However, this article is about the start to the season and will discuss which teams took the longest to achieve their first win.
Since the Reds won their Opening Day contest against the Atlanta Braves, they have mercifully disqualified themselves from the conversation. So, who had the worst start to a season in MLB history? Keep reading to find out.
The team with the worst start in MLB history
Some of the worst starts in MLB history include the 1997 Chicago Cubs and the 2003 Detroit Tigers. The 2003 Tigers began the season with nine straight losses and finished the year with 43 victories, the fewest in American League history, surpassing the record set in 1916 by the Philadelphia Athletics.
The 2003 Detroit Tigers were 3-25, which I’m going to assume is the worst start in baseball history. The Reds currently sit at 3-22.
"The 2003 Detroit Tigers were 3-25, which I’m going to assume is the worst start in baseball history. The Reds currently sit at 3-22." - @ Chris Castellani
The Chicago Cubs began the 1997 season with 14 straight defeats. The cataclysmic start spurred widespread credence to the "Billy Goat curse." The curse, which was promulgated by the owner of The Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago in 1945, led Cubs fans to bring a real Billy Goat to Wrigley Field in hopes of excorcising the curse.
The worst start an MLB team has ever had to a season was the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. The O's began 1988 with a record of 0-21 to finish the season with a record of 54-107. It was the first time the Orioles finished a season with fewer than 100 victories since 1954.
The Reds are 3-19 through 22 games this season, tied for the 2nd-worst record through 22 games in the Modern Era (since 1900).
They "trail" the 1988 Orioles (1-21). https://t.co/IgWBrp6IH3
"The Reds are 3-19 through 22 games this season, tied for the 2nd-worst record through 22 games in the Modern Era (since 1900). They "trail" the 1988 Orioles (1-21)." - @ ESPN Stats and Info
So there we have it. As nightmarish as the start to the 2022 season has been for the Cincinnati Reds, at least fans can rest assured that their team is not on the list of the worst starting records in baseball history.