Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Well, that was quick.
The Phils swept their way past the Braves in Atlanta all the way up to two games above .500. Then they return to Philly and get swept by the D-Backs in a series riddled with Phils miscues.
Yesterday's game ended with pinch-hitting Ryan Howard lining into a double play when potential tying run Michael Bourn strayed to far from second. Howard smoked the ball but right at second baseman Orlando Hudson who was in his Howard shift position in short right. I can appreciate that Bourn was trying to score from second, but going on contact when you are the tying run and double play will end the game? Bourn gave me agita just by stealing second just before the line out.
In the previous game Bourn ran into the wall going after a ball that ended up at his feet. He's symbolic of this team's inability to develop fundamentally sound ballplayers.
Anyway, the Phils trip into non-Loserdom lasted three games, three games above .500. Let's say they never establish a winning record for the remainder of the season. They would become just 216th team in baseball history to exceed .500 for three or fewer games in a season, and the 34th for exactly three games (the last being the 2001 Baltimore Orioles who ended up 63-98).
The Phils have now player 53 games, one more and they will have played exactly one-third of a season. They will have three games over .500 out of their first 54 games.
No playoff team or league winner has ever been over .500 fewer than 26 games and that was 1871 Philly A's who only played 28 games. None since the founding of the National League has been over .500 fewer than 31 games (1984 Royals).
Here are the playoff teams/league winners with the fewest games over .500:
| Yr | Team | Gs over .500 | % | W | L | POS |
| 1871 | Philadelphia Athletics | 26 | 92.9% | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| 1984 | Kansas City Royals | 31 | 19.1% | 84 | 78 | 1 |
| 1973 | New York Mets | 41 | 25.5% | 82 | 79 | 1 |
| 1974 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 45 | 27.8% | 88 | 74 | 1 |
| 1989 | Toronto Blue Jays | 46 | 28.4% | 89 | 73 | 1 |
| 1872 | Boston Red Stockings | 48 | 102.1% | 39 | 8 | 1 |
| 1981 | Houston Astros | 52 | 47.3% | 61 | 49 | 3 |
| 1878 | Boston Red Caps | 55 | 91.7% | 41 | 19 | 1 |
| 1873 | Boston Red Stockings | 55 | 93.2% | 43 | 16 | 1 |
| 1877 | Boston Red Caps | 56 | 93.3% | 42 | 18 | 1 |
| 1882 | Chicago White Stockings | 65 | 77.4% | 55 | 29 | 1 |
| 1995 | New York Yankees | 66 | 45.8% | 79 | 65 | 2 |
| 1876 | Chicago White Stockings | 66 | 100.0% | 52 | 14 | 1 |
| 1882 | Cincinnati Red Stockings | 66 | 82.5% | 55 | 25 | 1 |
The Phils have been over .500 just 5.6% of this season. Here are playoff teams who had a winning record for less than half the season. None come close to 5.6%:
| Yr | Team | Gs over .500 | % | W | L | POS |
| 1984 | Kansas City Royals | 31 | 19.1% | 84 | 78 | 1 |
| 1973 | New York Mets | 41 | 25.5% | 82 | 79 | 1 |
| 1974 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 45 | 27.8% | 88 | 74 | 1 |
| 1989 | Toronto Blue Jays | 46 | 28.4% | 89 | 73 | 1 |
| 1914 | Boston Braves | 67 | 43.8% | 94 | 59 | 1 |
| 1995 | New York Yankees | 66 | 45.8% | 79 | 65 | 2 |
| 1981 | Houston Astros | 52 | 47.3% | 61 | 49 | 3 |
| 2005 | Houston Astros | 78 | 48.1% | 89 | 73 | 2 |
| 2001 | Oakland Athletics | 78 | 48.1% | 102 | 60 | 2 |
| 2003 | Florida Marlins | 79 | 48.8% | 91 | 71 | 2 |
By the way, here are the teams that did not make the playoffs but had a winning record for 162 or more games:
| Yr | Team | Gs over .500 | W | L | POS |
| 1962 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 163 | 102 | 63 | 2 |
| 1969 | Chicago Cubs | 163 | 92 | 70 | 2 |
| 1973 | San Francisco Giants | 162 | 88 | 74 | 3 |
| 2001 | Minnesota Twins | 162 | 85 | 77 | 2 |
| 2000 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 162 | 85 | 77 | 3 |
| 1999 | San Francisco Giants | 162 | 86 | 76 | 2 |
| 1989 | Texas Rangers | 162 | 83 | 79 | 4 |
| 1985 | New York Mets | 162 | 98 | 64 | 2 |
| 1980 | Cincinnati Reds | 162 | 89 | 73 | 3 |
| 1979 | Houston Astros | 162 | 89 | 73 | 2 |
| 2001 | Philadelphia Phillies | 162 | 86 | 76 | 2 |
| 1977 | St. Louis Cardinals | 162 | 83 | 79 | 3 |
| 1966 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 162 | 92 | 70 | 3 |
| 1964 | Philadelphia Phillies | 162 | 92 | 70 | 2 |
| 1967 | Cincinnati Reds | 162 | 87 | 75 | 4 |
| 1962 | St. Louis Cardinals | 162 | 84 | 78 | 6 |
| 1966 | Detroit Tigers | 162 | 88 | 74 | 3 |
| 1963 | San Francisco Giants | 162 | 88 | 74 | 3 |
| 1964 | San Francisco Giants | 162 | 90 | 72 | 4 |
| 1970 | California Angels | 162 | 86 | 76 | 3 |
| 1963 | St. Louis Cardinals | 162 | 93 | 69 | 2 |
The Phils have one day to lick their wounds before the Barry Bonds show comes to town to continue his assault on the home run record. And, as always, Leon is getting laaaaaaaarger.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.