Some mistakes you never stop paying for. For the Phillies, it was the 1920s through the 1940s. Chris Jaffe brings the history over at The Hardball Times today:
They had losing records for 30 of the next 31 seasons. And there weren’t many borderline years in that mix. Ten of the next 20 seasons after that 1922 season were 100-loss years, including five in a row between 1938 and 1942. Six of seven between 1936 and 1942.
Ninety years ago today was something of a turning point in Phillies franchise history.
On May 14, 1922, they beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1. In and of itself, that wasn’t terribly important. The win gave the Phillies a record of 11-12 on the year. Again, that wasn’t particularly special, either.
No, but in a longer view, it had a meaning. That win gave the Phillies an all-time cumulative franchise record of 2,827 wins and 2,827 losses, exactly .500. It proved to be the last time they’d ever be .500.
They had losing records for 30 of the next 31 seasons. And there weren’t many borderline years in that mix. Ten of the next 20 seasons after that 1922 season were 100-loss years, including five in a row between 1938 and 1942. Six of seven between 1936 and 1942.
Puts what the Pirates have done in the past 20 years in perspective.
Bonus from Jaffe today: Mets weirdness.