Detroit Tigers Went 43-119 in 2003

Published on April 21st, 2024 4:09 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There have been some terrible teams over the rich history of Major League Baseball.

The 1899 Cleveland Spiders famously went 20-134 over the course of their season, which resulted in the worst winning percentage of all time.

Nine years earlier, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys went 23-113.

One year prior to that, the Louisville Colonels went 27-111.

The 1962 New York Mets, of course, lost 120 games in a 160 game season, and can be considered as the worst team of the "modern era".

Let's take the era of the 162 game season.

Which Major League Baseball team posted the WORST record over the course of a 162 game season?

In 2003, the Detroit Tigers set the record for most losses in a 162 game season when they posted a horrendous record of 43-119, which was good for a winning percentage of .265.

The team, which was managed by Alan Trammell, was a pretty ragtag bunch of unrecognizable names.

Dmitri Young, who was the team's designated hitter, was the best player on the team, as he hit 29 home runs and 85 RBIs.

The team boasted of a starting pitching staff that included the likes of Nate Cornejo, Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, Adam Bernero and Gary Knotts.

The "best" of these pitchers in 2003 was Mike Maroth, who finished with a record of 9-21.

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A number of the veteran players from 2002 didn't return to the Tigers in 2003, and the team didn't have much in the way of young talent.

The team started out by posting 9 straight losses.

After winning a game against the White Sox, the Tigers posted another eight straight losses, and were now 1-17 to start the season.

Much of the club's woes were laid at the feet of the offense, as the Tigers had a very difficult time drumming anything up offensively, especially at the beginning of the season.