With MLB's worst record, Pirates off to historically bad start in shortened season

The postponement of their three-game series at St. Louis because of the Cardinals’ covid-19 outbreak couldn’t have come at a better time for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who own MLB’s worst record (3-13) and are the only team with a winning percentage below .300 (.188).

To say this shortened season has been historic isn’t an understatement. The Pirates are 10 games under .500 and 8¹⁄₂ games out of first place, have endured a seven-game losing streak, three extra-innings losses and an NL-worst minus-30 run differential.

“I don’t like to see the record either — none of us do,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “None of us like the feeling after a loss. That’s why we work hard to make it better, because we don’t like that feeling. But we’ve learned a lot and will continue to learn a lot.”

What we have learned most is this start ranks among the worst of all-time. Granted, the Pirates won two of their first six games, so they can’t compare to Ty Cobb and the 1920 Detroit Tigers (0-13), the 1997 Chicago Cubs (0-14) or the 1988 Baltimore Orioles (0-21), who featured Hall of Famers in first baseman Eddie Murray and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and a former AL MVP in outfielder Fred Lynn.

But the Pirates are on pace for 30.4 wins over a full season. That would put them in the company of the worst teams in baseball history. That includes their precursors, the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (23-113, .169), who finished 66½ games out of first place.

That’s mathematically impossible, given the season was reduced to 60 games after the sport was shut down for three-plus months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cherington wasn’t kidding when he said this Saturday: “There’s a lot about this year that’s strange.”

Stranger yet, only four teams in the modern era have finished with fewer than 40 wins: the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117), 1935 Boston Braves (38-115), 1904 Washington Senators (38-113) and 1919 Philadelphia Athletics (36-104). None of those teams played a 162-game season.

What’s worse, after 16 games, the Pirates are in lockstep with some of the worst starts ever. The 1932 Boston Red Sox were 3-13 on their way to a 7-35 start and finished with a 43-111 record. The 1995 Florida (now Miami) Marlins were 3-13 on their way to a 5-20 start but finished with a 67-76 record. Then there’s the 1952 Pirates, who were 3-13 on their way to a 5-28 start and finished with a 42-112 record.

The ’52 Pirates featured Hall of Famers in general manager Branch Rickey and outfielder Ralph Kiner, who hit 37 home runs and had 87 RBIs. Cherington already has followed Rickey’s rule by shedding big salaries in favor of young prospects. Cherington dealt center fielder Starling Marte, the team’s best player, for two 19-year-old prospects in January.

That Rickey traded Kiner a year later, on the way to a 104-loss season, should serve as a warning for Pirates All-Star first baseman Josh Bell, who hit 37 homers and had 116 RBIs last season but is slashing .213/.246/.328 with two homers and five RBIs so far this season.

Shelton’s fun-loving personality has been popular with Pirates players, but the rookie manager shouldn’t take comfort in knowing former Pirates manager Billy Meyer had his No. 1 jersey retired by the club because he was so well-liked. Meyer resigned following the ’52 season.

The awful start, riddled with injuries to the pitching staff, hasn’t dampened Shelton’s outlook. He repeatedly has pointed to the Pirates’ ability to rally, especially late in games, as a sign the team won’t quit. Despite a 1-6 record in one-run games, their 34 runs after the seventh inning leads the majors. Shelton cited that competitive fire after a 17-13 loss to the Tigers in 11 innings Friday night, when Adam Frazier’s two-out, two-run homer sent the game into extra innings.

“The fact that they continue to fight — if they don’t fight, then I think we’ll have an issue — but to continue to come back, to be right on the cusp of winning the game, and then we get into extra innings, and then the game kind of got away from us,” Shelton said. “But they continue to battle. We had bounceback innings when we gave up the lead. To come back and do what we did in the ninth and have a chance to win the game, I thought it was outstanding.”

Of course, the Tigers had the worst record in the majors last season, at 47-144. The Pirates also have lost three games apiece to the Chicago Cubs (10-3) and Minnesota Twins (10-6), who have the most wins in the NL Central and AL Central, respectively. The Pirates can’t help notice that they are in dead last in the standings, even if they are askew because the Cardinals (2-3) haven’t played since July 29.

“Yeah, we definitely pay attention,” Pirates pitcher Derek Holland said. “If I sat here and told you I wasn’t, I’d be lying, for sure. We definitely see what’s going on.”

There’s nowhere to go but up for these Pirates, unless they want to go down as one of the worst teams in modern baseball history.