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Two-Time Losers
2005-05-05 21:36
by Mike Carminati

The Mets rode Anna Benson's husband's arm to victory today, 7-5, to top .500 (15-14) for the first time since April 26. The Mets have been two games over .500 for only two days so far this year (10-8 on 4/23 and 11-9 on 4/25).

Meanwhile, across town, at least mentally, the Yankees lost for the third time straight to the lowly Devil Rays to fall into virtual tie with them for last in the AL East. The Yanks haven't been at .500 since April 13 (4-4) nor over .500 since the fifth game of the season (3-2).

New York is not a very forgiving town when it comes to losing, and, at least in baseball, they haven't had to be all that forgiving. With both New York teams hovering at or well below .500, it could be the first time that both the Mets and the Yanks had losing records since 1992.

Moreover, it would be just the eleventh year that New York would be without a winner. Here are the previous years:

YrTeamWLPCT
1871New York Mutuals1617.485
1875Brooklyn Atlantics242.045
1875New York Mutuals3038.441
1876New York Mutuals2135.375
1896Brooklyn Bridegrooms5873.443
1896New York Giants6467.489
1965New York Mets50112.309
1965New York Yankees7785.475
1966New York Mets6695.410
1966New York Yankees7089.440
1967New York Mets61101.377
1967New York Yankees7290.444
1982New York Mets6597.401
1982New York Yankees7983.488
1991New York Mets7784.478
1991New York Yankees7191.438
1992New York Mets7290.444
1992New York Yankees7686.469

Actually, that's being a bit unfair to the Big Apple. There are only six years in the 109 in total in which two teams represented New York where none of their teams has a winning record (Brooklyn wasn't officially part of New York until 1898). That's 5.5%.

If you compare that to the other cities that have been represented by multiple teams, that becomes even more impressive.

Los Angeles (or LA of Anaheim) has two teams leading their division this year, but they have had the same number of years as New York (6) in which both teams had losing, or .500, records in the 44 years that LA has had two teams. That's 13.6%.

Here they are:

YrTeamWLPCT
1968California Angels6795.414
1968Los Angeles Dodgers7686.469
1984California Angels8181.500
1984Los Angeles Dodgers7983.488
1987California Angels7587.463
1987Los Angeles Dodgers7389.451
1992California Angels7290.444
1992Los Angeles Dodgers6399.389
1993California Angels7191.438
1993Los Angeles Dodgers8181.500
1999Anaheim Angels7092.432
1999Los Angeles Dodgers7785.475

The White Sox are on a roll this year and the Cubs have been around .500. However, in the 106 years that Chitown has had more than one team, 21 of them have been witnessed without a team with a winning record. That's 19.8%, and here they are:

YrTeamWLPCT
1921Chicago Cubs6489.418
1921Chicago White Sox6292.403
1941Chicago Cubs7084.455
1941Chicago White Sox7777.500
1942Chicago Cubs6886.442
1942Chicago White Sox6682.446
1944Chicago Cubs7579.487
1944Chicago White Sox7183.461
1947Chicago Cubs6985.448
1947Chicago White Sox7084.455
1948Chicago Cubs6490.416
1948Chicago White Sox51101.336
1949Chicago Cubs6193.396
1949Chicago White Sox6391.409
1950Chicago Cubs6489.418
1950Chicago White Sox6094.390
1973Chicago Cubs7784.478
1973Chicago White Sox7785.475
1974Chicago Cubs6696.407
1974Chicago White Sox8080.500
1975Chicago Cubs7587.463
1975Chicago White Sox7586.466
1976Chicago Cubs7587.463
1976Chicago White Sox6497.398
1978Chicago Cubs7983.488
1978Chicago White Sox7190.441
1979Chicago Cubs8082.494
1979Chicago White Sox7387.456
1980Chicago Cubs6498.395
1980Chicago White Sox7090.438
1986Chicago Cubs7090.438
1986Chicago White Sox7290.444
1987Chicago Cubs7685.472
1987Chicago White Sox7785.475
1988Chicago Cubs7785.475
1988Chicago White Sox7190.441
1997Chicago Cubs6894.420
1997Chicago White Sox8081.497
1999Chicago Cubs6795.414
1999Chicago White Sox7586.466
2002Chicago Cubs6795.414
2002Chicago White Sox8181.500

The A's and Giants are hovering around .500 while they wait for their young rotation to gel and their old star to return, respectively. The San Fran-Oakland metro area has had two teams for 37 years and, even with the great A's teams of the past, there have been eight years (21.6%)in the bay area without a winning team:

YrTeamWLPCT
1977Oakland Athletics6398.391
1977San Francisco Giants7587.463
1979Oakland Athletics54108.333
1979San Francisco Giants7191.438
1983Oakland Athletics7488.457
1983San Francisco Giants7983.488
1984Oakland Athletics7785.475
1984San Francisco Giants6696.407
1985Oakland Athletics7785.475
1985San Francisco Giants62100.383
1994Oakland Athletics5163.447
1994San Francisco Giants5560.478
1995Oakland Athletics6777.465
1995San Francisco Giants6777.465
1996Oakland Athletics7884.481
1996San Francisco Giants6894.420

Then there are the cities in the original 16 teams that have since seen one of their two teams relocate. That is, Boston, Philly, and St. Louis. Philadelphia lacked a winner in one-third of the seasons in which the twp teams represented the city (22 of 66). Here they are:

YrTeamWLPCT
1918Philadelphia Athletics5276.406
1918Philadelphia Phillies5568.447
1919Philadelphia Athletics36104.257
1919Philadelphia Phillies4790.343
1920Philadelphia Athletics48106.312
1920Philadelphia Phillies6291.405
1921Philadelphia Athletics53100.346
1921Philadelphia Phillies51103.331
1922Philadelphia Athletics6589.422
1922Philadelphia Phillies5796.373
1923Philadelphia Athletics6983.454
1923Philadelphia Phillies50104.325
1924Philadelphia Athletics7181.467
1924Philadelphia Phillies5596.364
1934Philadelphia Athletics6882.453
1934Philadelphia Phillies5693.376
1935Philadelphia Athletics5891.389
1935Philadelphia Phillies6489.418
1936Philadelphia Athletics53100.346
1936Philadelphia Phillies54100.351
1937Philadelphia Athletics5497.358
1937Philadelphia Phillies6192.399
1938Philadelphia Athletics5399.349
1938Philadelphia Phillies45105.300
1939Philadelphia Athletics5597.362
1939Philadelphia Phillies45106.298
1940Philadelphia Athletics54100.351
1940Philadelphia Phillies50103.327
1941Philadelphia Athletics6490.416
1941Philadelphia Phillies43111.279
1942Philadelphia Athletics5599.357
1942Philadelphia Phillies42109.278
1943Philadelphia Athletics49105.318
1943Philadelphia Blue Jays6490.416
1944Philadelphia Athletics7282.468
1944Philadelphia Blue Jays6192.399
1945Philadelphia Athletics5298.347
1945Philadelphia Phillies46108.299
1946Philadelphia Athletics49105.318
1946Philadelphia Phillies6985.448
1951Philadelphia Athletics7084.455
1951Philadelphia Phillies7381.474
1954Philadelphia Athletics51103.331
1954Philadelphia Phillies7579.487

Boston had 55 years with two teams but had no winner in 21 of them (38.2%):

YrTeamWLPCT
1906Boston Beaneaters49102.325
1906Boston Pilgrims49105.318
1907Boston Doves5890.392
1907Boston Red Sox5990.396
1908Boston Doves6391.409
1908Boston Red Sox7579.487
1919Boston Braves5782.410
1919Boston Red Sox6671.482
1920Boston Braves6290.408
1920Boston Red Sox7281.471
1922Boston Braves53100.346
1922Boston Red Sox6193.396
1923Boston Braves54100.351
1923Boston Red Sox6191.401
1924Boston Braves53100.346
1924Boston Red Sox6787.435
1925Boston Braves7083.458
1925Boston Red Sox47105.309
1926Boston Braves6686.434
1926Boston Red Sox46107.301
1927Boston Braves6094.390
1927Boston Red Sox51103.331
1928Boston Braves50103.327
1928Boston Red Sox5796.373
1929Boston Braves5698.364
1929Boston Red Sox5896.377
1930Boston Braves7084.455
1930Boston Red Sox52102.338
1931Boston Braves6490.416
1931Boston Red Sox6290.408
1932Boston Braves7777.500
1932Boston Red Sox43111.279
1936Boston Bees7183.461
1936Boston Red Sox7480.481
1943Boston Braves6885.444
1943Boston Red Sox6884.447
1944Boston Braves6589.422
1944Boston Red Sox7777.500
1945Boston Braves6785.441
1945Boston Red Sox7183.461
1952Boston Braves6489.418
1952Boston Red Sox7678.494

St. Louis had 14 years out of the 56 with two teams in which neither team had a winning record (25%):

YrTeamWLPCT
1903St. Louis Browns6574.468
1903St. Louis Cardinals4394.314
1904St. Louis Browns6587.428
1904St. Louis Cardinals7579.487
1905St. Louis Browns5499.353
1905St. Louis Cardinals5896.377
1907St. Louis Browns6983.454
1907St. Louis Cardinals52101.340
1909St. Louis Browns6189.407
1909St. Louis Cardinals5498.355
1910St. Louis Browns47107.305
1910St. Louis Cardinals6390.412
1912St. Louis Browns53101.344
1912St. Louis Cardinals6390.412
1913St. Louis Browns5796.373
1913St. Louis Cardinals5199.340
1918St. Louis Browns5864.475
1918St. Louis Cardinals5178.395
1919St. Louis Browns6772.482
1919St. Louis Cardinals5483.394
1920St. Louis Browns7677.497
1920St. Louis Cardinals7579.487
1924St. Louis Browns7478.487
1924St. Louis Cardinals6589.422
1932St. Louis Browns6391.409
1932St. Louis Cardinals7282.468
1938St. Louis Browns5597.362
1938St. Louis Cardinals7180.470
Comments
2005-05-05 23:55:35
1.   Pseudonym
Interesting.

How about the Jays/Expos for us Canadians?

2005-05-06 05:41:55
2.   Mike Carminati
Pseudo,

Here you are. The country of Canada had no winning franchise in six of the 28 years that it had two franchises (1977-2004) or 21.4%:

Yr Team W L PCT
1977 Montreal Expos 75 87 .463
1977 Toronto Blue Jays 54 107 .335
1978 Montreal Expos 76 86 .469
1978 Toronto Blue Jays 59 102 .366
1995 Montreal Expos 66 78 .458
1995 Toronto Blue Jays 56 88 .389
1997 Montreal Expos 78 84 .481
1997 Toronto Blue Jays 76 86 .469
2001 Montreal Expos 68 94 .420
2001 Toronto Blue Jays 80 82 .494
2004 Montreal Expos 67 95 .414
2004 Toronto Blue Jays 67 94 .416

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