Rockies Own Worst 50-Game Start in Modern MLB History After Sweep vs. Phillies

If there's a rock bottom in Major League Baseball, the Colorado Rockies have already hit it and they still have 112 games left to play this season.

Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies dropped the Rockies' record to 8-42, the worst record through 50 games in modern MLB history (since 1901).

The 2023 Oakland Athletics previously held that dubious distinction with a 10-40 start. They finished the year 52-110 to avoid being one of the 10 worst teams of all time.

Per Champs or Chumps, the only MLB team ever with a worse record through 50 games than the Rockies is the 1895 Louisville Colonels. They lost 43 of their first 50 games en route to a 35-96 overall record.

The Rockies are one of five teams to have fewer than 10 wins through their first 50 games. The previous four all occurred between 1886 and 1904.

At their current rate, the Rockies are on pace to finish 26-136. That would be five games worse than the 2024 Chicago White Sox who set a modern-era record for most losses in a season.

As bad as this start has been, there's nothing to suggest it's fluky in any way or that positive regression will come.

Despite playing home games in Denver's high altitude, the Rockies rank 27th in slugging percentage, tied for 28th in runs scored and batting average and last in on-base percentage. The pitching staff ranks last in ERA, strikeouts and 28th in fielding independent ERA.

Colorado's run differential of minus-159 is nearly twice as bad as the next-worst team in MLB (Baltimore Orioles: minus-89).

If all of this isn't bad enough for Rockies fans, their next nine games are against the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. Those three teams are all at least 10 games over .500, with the Yankees and Cubs leading their divisions.