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The 2025 season has not started like the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox anticipated. Well, sure, the White Sox did break the modern loss record in 2024 by dropping 121 games, and they then suffered a rash of injuries in the spring that have plagued them throughout the first month of the season. So maybe it’s more accurate to say that one of these teams is probably pretty surprised about how their April went.
Given the historic nature of Chicago’s 2024 combined with the poor starts of these two teams in 2025, we have no choice but to keep an eye on their performance and give you the appropriate context. The news… is not good. But it’s also early enough that all the implications of April can change, at least in terms of avoiding becoming the answer to future trivia questions. In fact, the Rockies already managed one such feat to close out their April.
Maybe everything will look better for these teams on June 1 – we’ll be checking in then, too, if needed – but for now, let’s look at where they stand.
First up, some context via the list that the White Sox and Rockies are attempting to avoid the most:
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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%
(You might have noticed that the ranking of total losses and of winning percentage don’t neatly match up: that’s because of differing season lengths. The 162-game schedule wasn’t introduced until the 1961 season.)
The ‘24 White Sox pushed (among many others with 111 losses) the 1932 Red Sox — a team that finished 64 games back of the eventual champion New York Yankees — out of the top 10 list for most losses ever. If either the Rockies or the White Sox end up with at least 113 losses, they’ll end up pushing three 20th century teams and just one 21st century team off of the list, completely changing the balance of it.
There’s time for that kind of discussion at a later time, though, if it’s merited. For now, what matters is that the White Sox, with a record of 8-23 and a .258 winning percentage, are currently on pace for a record of 42-120. The Rockies are in even worse shape, as their 6-25 start — and .167 winning percentage — put them on pace to smash last year’s new record, at 31-131. Now, both teams are merely 31 games in, or less than 20 percent of the way through the season, so let’s not start rewriting the record books yet. Still, that’s the history they’re trying to avoid making, and that’s where they stand after one month.
The worst starts in modern MLB history through 30 games (1901-2025)
1. 1988 Baltimore Orioles: 4-26, .133 W% (finished 54-107)
T2. 2025 Colorado Rockies: 5-25, .167 W% (TBD)
T2. 1932 Boston Red Sox: 5-25, .167 W% (43-111)
T2. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-25, .167 W% (42-112)
T2. 1904 Philadelphia Phillies: 5-25, .167 W% (52-100)
T2. 2003 Detroit Tigers: 5-25, .167 W% (43-119)
T2. 1981 Chicago Cubs: 5-25, .167 W% (38-65)
T8. 2023 Oakland Athletics: 6-24, .250 W% (50-112)
T8. 1936 St. Louis Browns: 6-24, .250 W% (57-95)
T8. 2024 Chicago White Sox: 6-24, .250 W% (41-121)
T8. 2022 Cincinnati Reds: 6-24, .250 W% (62-100)
T8. 1928 Philadelphia Phillies: 6-24, .250 W% (43-109)
T8. 1904 Washington Senators: 6-24, .250 W% (38-113)
T8. 1910 St. Louis Browns: 6-24, .250 W% (47-107)
T8. 1919 Philadelphia Athletics: 6-24, .250 W% (36-104)
T8. 2024 Miami Marlins: 6-24, .250 W% (62-100)
T8: 1906 Boston Americans: 6-24, .250 W% (49-105)
There’s good news and there’s bad news here, as far as the present-day White Sox and Rockies are concerned. Starting with the good: just five of the teams on this list of 17 teams ended up on the above top-10 most losses list. One of them, the 1936 St. Louis Browns, even turned things around enough to avoid losing 100 games. (The 1981 Cubs do not count, as they played in a strike-shortened season — projected over 162 games, they were still on pace to lose over 100.) That little bit of good news is also part of the bad news, however: only one of them avoided a 100-loss season, and five of them did end up among the worst teams ever by total losses.
The 2025 White Sox just missed, as they tied for 18th with 17 other teams — including last year’s Rockies, who rebounded to lose “just” 101 games for the season. That one extra win makes a lot of difference, historically! Of course, the start of the 2024 White Sox tied for 8th, and they ended up setting the modern loss record, so here’s your reminder that these margins are razor-thin. Which is also a place to say not to get too excited about both of these clubs winning their 31st games of the season.
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%
Total losses aren’t the only metric to judge a team by. Winning percentage can tell us a whole lot, too, especially when comparing the 154- and 162-game eras. This list is mostly populated by teams from the first half of the 20th century, before the schedule added another eight games. The expansion Mets very well could still have the modern loss record if not for playing in just 160 games rather than 162. The 2024 White Sox made it on here despite the full 162 games, and the 2003 Tigers were famously the lone team from the 21st century on it until Chicago arrived, as they threatened to set the modern loss record before wins in five of their final six games saved them from that infamy.
Even the worst winning percentage on this list would be a major improvement for how the Rockies have done to this point, and the White Sox would still slot in here comfortably (or uncomfortably, as it were). Again, there’s a lot of season left, but both clubs are going to need drastically different performances going forward to avoid becoming permanent fixtures on either of these end-of-season lists.
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