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E-mailPirates nearing 100-loss mark
Rob Biertempfel is the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Pirates beat writer. He can be reached at 412-320-7811 or via e-mail.
LOS ANGELES -- The Pirates must win eight of their final 18 games this season to avoid reaching 100 losses for the first time since 2001, the year PNC Park opened.
After winning one of six games on their just-completed road trip to Houston and Los Angeles, the Pirates are 55-89.
Over their 123-year history, the Pirates have lost 100 or more games in a season just seven times.
There have been some truly disappointing Pirates teams that did not reach triple-digit defeats. But none stand out as much as the members of the 100 Club.
"I think it's just perception," manager John Russell said. "That's why people price things at $9.99 instead of $10. I learned that in marketing class in college.
| The 100-loss club | |||
| Seven Pirates teams have finished a season with 100 or more losses: | |||
| Year | W-L | Pct | Pos |
| 1890 | 23-113 | .169 | 8 |
| 1917 | 51-103 | .331 | 8 |
| 1952 | 42-112 | .273 | 8 |
| 1953 | 50-104 | .325 | 8 |
| 1954 | 53-101 | .344 | 8 |
| 1985 | 57-104 | .354 | 6 |
| 2001 | 62-100 | .383 | 6 |
"There is a stigma around that number. It pops out at you. But I'm just as unhappy with 90 losses as I'd be with 100 losses. It doesn't really matter to me. When we start getting 90 wins (in a season), then I'll be liking the 100 mark."
The way closer Matt Capps sees it, a team's position in the standings is a more important number than the tally of wins or losses.
"Last place is last place," Capps said. "Whether you win 90 games and everybody else wins 91 or if you lose 100, it's last place. It's just a number to me."
Nobody in the clubhouse has first-hand experience with such a staggering amount of defeats. Capps wasn't even drafted by the Pirates until a year after the franchise's most recent 100-loss season. Third baseman Neil Walker was born in 1985, when the Pirates dropped 104 games.
The '85 Pirates usually came by their defeats due to anemic offense. George Hendrick, Steve Kemp, Marvell Wynne, Sammy Khalifa, Johnny Ray, Doug Frobel, Johnnie LeMaster, Sixto Lezcano, Mike Brown et al. contributed to an offense which was at or near the bottom in every category except doubles.
One of the franchise's roughest stretches came in the early 1950s. The Pirates reeled off nine straight losing seasons, including three consecutive years of triple-digit losses -- 1952 (42-112), 1953 (50-104) and 1954 (53-101).
Not even the presence of sluggers Ralph Kiner (37 home runs in 1952) and Frank Thomas (a total of 53 homers in 1953-54) was much help.
The pitching staffs' combined ERAs were 4.65 in 1952, 5.22 in '53 and 4.92 in '54. The Pirates routinely finished last in the league in hits, runs and walks allowed and had the fewest strikeouts.
In terms of sheer numbers, the worst club in franchise history was the 1890 Alleghenies, which went 23-113. Their roster was devastated by defections, as several standout players jumped to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the rival Players League.
