Wait 'Til Next Year — Baseball Bench Coach

A warm childhood memory is watching the NBC Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons with my Dad. Since we were in an NL city, it was the only opportunity to see the American League teams play during the regular season. Most of the AL games I recall were hosted by Boston at Fenway Park. One Saturday my Dad and I watched Frank Howard and the Washington Senators play the Red Sox. I had read in the newspaper that Howard, all 6 foot 7 of him, was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. I remember being totally unimpressed, the only image of the game being big Frank stumble in the outfield trying to catch a fly ball.

Frank Howard was indeed a fearsome hitter. A 4-time MLB All-Star known as the “Washington Monument”, he twice led the AL in home runs and total bases. His career totals include 382 HRs and 1,119 RBIs. Unfortunately, he starred on a Senators team that stumbled a lot themselves. It is the same Senators team portrayed as hapless in the Broadway hit, “Damn Yankees”. You had to have a lot of “heart” to be a fan of this franchise.

The Senators set the standard for losing in the American League beginning in the early 1900s. The 1904 team lost 113 games. A columnist joked: “Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.” From 1911 to 1933, the franchise did have success behind such stars as Joe Cronin and Walter Johnson. Bad fortunes returned in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1960 the franchise relocated to Minnesota; an expansion franchise named the Senators returned to D.C. in the 1960s. The new Senators would become the Texas Rangers in 1972.

The National League had its own team of futility during this time, the 1962 New York Mets. That season was the Mets first one, but boy did they set some lasts. Team batting average, team ERA, and team field percentage were all last in the NL, the ultimate trifecta. The Mets starting pitchers recorded a new (and still standing) record of just 23 wins during the season. The Mets’ 120 losses (record of 40-120) are the all-time worst in MLB history. Crazily, just six seasons later, the 1969 “Amazin’ Mets” captured the World Series. The franchise of severe ups and downs continued most recently with 101 wins in 2022 and a losing record last year.

The 2024 White Sox are on pace to break the season record of 120 losses. This year’s Southside squad has a record of 6-22 at week’s end. The trade of star pitcher Dylan prior to the season start shook the starting staff. Not one starter remains from its core the past few years. The Sox have suffered injuries to key everyday players, such as Eloy Jiminez, Yoan Moncada, and the young superstar, Luis Robert. It’s a long season, but Chicago will find it very difficult to recover from its April start.

The Baltimore Orioles in 1988 had the worst start in modern day baseball, going 0-21. It wasn’t until April 29 that the Orioles could post a “W”, a win against the White Sox at old Comiskey Park. Because of the poor start, Baltimore manager Cal Ripken, Sr. was replaced by Frank Robinson. While Robinson tried to rally the troops, the club finished 54-107 for the season. It marked only the second time in franchise history that Baltimore had over 100 losses, the first one in 1954, its inaugural season.

Another proud AL franchise, the Tigers, had its comeuppance in 2003. Detroit lost 119 games that season, the most in American League history. The previous record was set all the way back in 1916 by the Philadelphia Athletics. Some startling numbers from the ’03 Tigers include being outscored by 337 runs during the season and a team ERA of 5.30. Detroit finished 47 games behind division winning Minnesota and was eliminated from playoff contention on August 22. There was no tiger in the tank of this squad.

We often hear the term “lovable losers” to describe sports teams that are not successful on the field. The Cubs were branded with that term until of course, 2016, when Chicago won the World Series. It was the club’s first world championship in 108 years. Their opponent in that Series was the Cleveland Indians, the AL team with the longest active, world championship drought. Cleveland has not been able to raise a World Series winning banner since 1948.

Don’t look now, but the 2024 Clevelanders, now named the Guardians, may be able to break that streak. At week’s end the Guardians lead the AL Central with a record of 19-9. They are off to the franchise’s best start in 25 years. For me, my AL eyes this season will be on Cleveland to see some winning, rather than on the southside of Chicago where “wait until next year” will be heard even before the All-Star break.

Until next Monday,

your Baseball Bench Coach