The Rockies began the month of June with a .158 winning percentage, with a 9-50 record. They were on pace to obliterate the modern loss record, set in 2024 by the Chicago White Soxas well as the worst winning percentage of the modern era. Meanwhile, the 2025 White Sox had used their May to improve on a horrific April, but not by enough to feel comfortable about leaving the history books behind, either.
In addition, there were five teams on pace for 100 losses when June kicked off, which has never happened in MLB’s long history – the record is four, reached multiple times and more often of late – with a sixth potential 100-loss team lurking. Let’s check in and see if June changed any of these projected fortunes for the better. (They certainly couldn’t have gotten any worse.)
Let’s start with a reminder of the 10 worst modern-era seasons by losses, to get some context.
The 10 worst records of the modern era by losses (1901-2024)
1. 2024 Chicago White Sox: 41-121, .253 W%
2. 1962 New York Mets: 40-120, .250 W%
3. 2003 Detroit Tigers: 43-119, .265 W%
4. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117, .235 W%
T5. 2018 Baltimore Orioles: 47-115, .290 W%
T5. 1935 Boston Braves: 38-115, .248 W%
7. 2019 Detroit Tigers: 47-114, .292 W%
8. 1904 Washington Senators: 38-113, .252 W%
T9. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .273 W%
T9. 2023 Oakland Athletics: 50-112, .308 W%
T9. 1965 New York Mets: 50-112, .308 W%
T9. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .272 W%
The Rockies, through June 30, are now 19-65. They managed to both more than double their season win total in one month, while also finishing said month with a 2-8 run over its final 10 games. That should be a pretty good reminder of just how dismal their season was pre-June.
Colorado went 10-16 in June, and was outscored by 38 runs. Considering that they were 4-24 in May and outscored by 106 runs, that’s a massive improvement. The rotation produced a 5.24 ERA for the month, allowing 1.7 homers per nine, striking out six per nine, while walking 3.3 per nine. Uninspiring numbers all around, unless you compare them to May, in which they allowed a 6.88 ERA with similar peripherals. That’s actually a bit concerning, that the Rockies improved without actually improving – they even had their starters throw fewer innings on average per start in June – but hey. Just like the pre-June losses are in the bank, their June results are stored there, too.
There are fewer asterisks on the offensive side. Mickey Moniak had a monster month, batting .300/.364/.760, while Hunter Goodman was right there with him at .342/.373/.734. Tyler Freeman (.373/.478/.507) and Ryan McMahon (.237/.311/.462) round out the best performances. The Rockies might still not be able to pitch very well, but at least these players mashed.
Like with the possibility that the starters are worse again given a lack of underlying improvement, Colorado can’t exactly rely on Moniak and Goodman both doing an Aaron Judge impression from here on out. It’s telling that the team’s OPS+ is still just 79, worst in the majors, despite these performances: that was practically half the lineup right there in the previous paragraph having a month worth showcasing, but the team as a whole batted .250/.307/.430 for the month. Not bad by any means, but certainly buoyed by a few weeks that’ll be tough to replicate and rely on.
News is better for the White Sox, at least. Last time out, the warning was that losing at least 113 games would still have them down for one of the 10-worst seasons by losses in the modern era. They’re on pace for 108 defeats after their 10-17 June. That’s not great, either, but two months in a row where they’re playing like a regular 100-loss team instead of a historic one will work for them.
While Chicago dropped to a 108-loss pace for the season, the Rockies are still at 125, four ahead of the 2024 White Sox’ record. They’re close enough to the mark to not have to assume that they’ll definitely break it, but it’s harder to imagine them not ending up with one of the worst seasons ever, even if they pull that off. Recall that, about a month ago, even if the Rockies went .500 the rest of the way that they’d still lose 100 games. They were better than before in June, but nowhere close to .500. If they went .500 from here on out, they’d still lose 104 games.
On to winning percentage:
The 10 worst records of the modern era by winning percentage (1901-2024)
- 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117, .235 W%
- 1935 Boston Braves: 38-115, .248 W%
- 1962 New York Mets: 40-120, .250 W%
- 1904 Washington Senators: 38-113, .252 W%
- 2024 Chicago White Sox: 41-121, .253 W%
- 1919 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-104, .257 W%
- 2003 Detroit Tigers: 43-119, .265 W%
- 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112, .273 W%
- 1909 Washington Senators: 42-110, .276 W%
- 1942 Philadelphia Phillies: 42-109, .278 W%
The Rockies made real strides here, too, which is great for them: they kicked off June with a .158 winning percentage, which was unfathomably worse than the current worst-ever rate, and now they find themselves at .226. That would still be No. 1 with room to spare were the season to end today, but it’s not ending today: Colorado still has 78 games left, and even if they can’t quite escape breaking the loss record in the end, they can still avoid taking over for the 1916 Athletics, too, just like the 2024 White Sox did. If Colorado loses 124 games, however, they’ll tie the A’s, so they’ve got to at least do well enough to avoid that over the next three months.
As for the threat of five 100-loss teams: the Pirates, MarlinsOrioles and Athletics all played much better in June than they had previously. Pittsburgh is now on pace for “just” 94 losses, while the Marlins have won seven in a row and are on pace for 89. The A’s stopped playing at an even worse pace than the Rockies were, and are on track for 97 defeats. The Orioles have had the most believable turnaround, however, as they’re on pace for 91 losses, and suddenly playing like a team that could maybe sneak its way to a wild card spot with three months to go. They’ve got the roster for it, at least: everyone else is just trying to avoid being part of some bad history.
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