The Colorado Rockies managed to dodge one of the ugliest distinctions in baseball history.
A season from nightmare to near-history
With their 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Rockies secured their 42nd victory of the year, ensuring they won’t surpass the Chicago White Sox’s infamous 121-loss season from 2024.
That record remains safe for at least another year, but Colorado hasn’t exactly given fans much to celebrate. Sitting at 112 losses with eight games left, the Rockies are still pacing toward 118 defeats, which would land them among the most futile seasons ever recorded.
From hopeless start to slightly less hopeless
Colorado’s collapse looked destined for disaster early. The Rockies stumbled out of April with a 5-25 record, then bottomed out at 9-49 by the end of May. At that point, they were on pace for 137 losses—blowing past the White Sox’s mark.
Manager Bud Black was fired just 40 games in, replaced by Warren Schaeffer. The change didn’t save the season, but the team stabilized enough to avoid historic infamy. Since June 1, they’ve gone 33-63, still dreadful, but not record-breaking dreadful.
Even with that slight improvement, Colorado’s numbers remain brutal. They’ve allowed more runs than any other team since June and scored near the bottom of the league despite playing at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
The worst stat of all
Here’s where things get truly bleak: the Rockies own a run differential of minus-403, the worst in modern MLB history. The previous record belonged to the 1932 Red Sox at minus-349. For context, the 2023 Athletics had a minus-339 differential, once considered a modern low point. Colorado shattered both marks with room to spare.
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Expanding the scope to include 19th-century teams, only six clubs in history have been outscored by more. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders still sit atop that shameful list with a minus-723 margin, but the 2025 Rockies have forced themselves into that conversation.
A brutal reality check
The Rockies are 7-43 in games decided by five runs or more. That means they’ve been blown out more times than they’ve actually won all year. No, they won’t set the record for most losses in a single season, but the case that this is the worst team in modern baseball history is as strong as it gets.
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