The Cubs recently improved to 10 games above .500, after being 10 games below .500 earlier in the season. The first time the Cubs ever achieved this feat.
How rare is this achievement, and have other teams pulled it off? And have the Cubs ever gone the opposite route? Going from 10 games above 500 to 10 games below?
Let’s find out.
A fairly common achievement
Going from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above seems extraordinary. However, since 1901, 45 teams have managed this feat. That’s an average of roughly one occurrence every three years. The Cubs’ achievement in 2023 marks the first time in the team’s storied history that they’ve achieved this turnaround.
Giants: the record holders
The Giants hold the record for this impressive feat, having achieved it five times in their history.
| Franchise | Count | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | 5x | 1990, 1982, 1951, 1950, 1916 |
| Cardinals | 4x | 1973, 1947, 1940, 1921 |
| Astros | 4x | 2016, 2005, 2002, 1969 |
A recent surge in turnarounds
While such turnarounds were once rarer, they’ve become more frequent in recent years. Over the past 23 years, an impressive 15 teams have gone from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above .500.
The remarkable rise of the 2001 Oakland A’s
When discussing remarkable turnarounds, it’s impossible to overlook the 2001 Oakland Athletics. They not only went from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above but achieved an astonishing 42 games above .500 during the same season. They finished 102-60, 2nd in AL West (and lost to the Yankees in the NLDS).
Coming from the lowest point
Who was in the cellar the lowest? The 1914 Boston Braves and 1969 Houston Astros were at 16 games below .500 at one point.
The 1914 Braves won the World Series. The 1969 Astros finished 81-81-0, 5th in NL West.
A team has never been able to improve to 10 games above, when they dipped down to 17 games below.
The latest comeback in the season
The 1978 Pittsburgh Pirates hit their low point on August 12th. Then, by September 29th, they fought back to 15 games above. They wound up in 2nd place in the NL East.
(note: Below this long table, we explore which teams did the reverse, so keep scrolling to get to that part)
Full list of the MLB teams that improved from 10+ games below to 10+games above in the same season
| Year | Team | Lowest below .500 | Highest above .500 | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Chicago Cubs | -10 | 12 | June 08 – September 07 |
| 2022 | Baltimore Orioles | -11 | 10 | June 10 – September 03 |
| 2022 | Seattle Mariners | -10 | 18 | June 20 – September 04 |
| 2019 | New York Mets | -11 | 10 | July 12 – September 29 |
| 2019 | Washington Nationals (World Series champ) | -12 | 24 | May 23 – September 29 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL champs) | -10 | 21 | May 16 – October 01 |
| 2016 | Houston Astros | -11 | 10 | May 23 – July 24 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles Dodgers | -12 | 28 | June 21 – September 03 |
| 2009 | Colorado Rockies | -12 | 24 | June 03 – October 02 |
| 2006 | Los Angeles Angels | -11 | 17 | May 22 – September 30 |
| 2005 | Houston Astros (NL champs) | -15 | 16 | May 27 – September 28 |
| 2005 | Oakland Athletics | -15 | 19 | May 29 – August 30 |
| 2003 | Florida Marlins (World Series champ) | -10 | 20 | May 22 – September 26 |
| 2002 | Houston Astros | -10 | 11 | June 26 – September 10 |
| 2001 | Oakland Athletics | -10 | 42 | May 01 – October 07 |
| 1998 | Baltimore Orioles | -12 | 10 | July 08 – August 19 |
| 1990 | San Francisco Giants | -11 | 10 | May 28 – August 02 |
| 1990 | Texas Rangers | -11 | 10 | June 06 – September 21 |
| 1989 | Toronto Blue Jays | -12 | 17 | May 14 – September 30 |
| 1986 | Cincinnati Reds | -13 | 11 | May 14 – October 04 |
| 1984 | New York Yankees | -10 | 14 | July 11 – September 21 |
| 1982 | San Francisco Giants | -10 | 13 | June 27 – September 26 |
| 1978 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -10 | 15 | August 12 – September 29 |
| 1975 | Baltimore Orioles | -10 | 23 | May 29 – September 24 |
| 1974 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -14 | 14 | June 07 – October 02 |
| 1973 | St. Louis Cardinals | -15 | 11 | May 14 – August 05 |
| 1969 | Houston Astros | -16 | 10 | April 30 – August 13 |
| 1967 | California Angels | -12 | 10 | June 06 – July 25 |
| 1966 | Atlanta Braves | -11 | 11 | July 01 – September 22 |
| 1965 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -15 | 18 | May 20 – October 03 |
| 1961 | Chicago White Sox | -13 | 14 | June 11 – September 20 |
| 1956 | Detroit Tigers | -11 | 10 | July 06 – September 30 |
| 1955 | Boston Red Sox | -10 | 24 | June 03 – September 07 |
| 1952 | Philadelphia Phillies | -10 | 20 | June 19 – September 28 |
| 1951 | New York Giants (NL champs) | -10 | 39 | April 29 – October 01 |
| 1950 | New York Giants | -10 | 18 | July 19 – October 01 |
| 1947 | St. Louis Cardinals | -10 | 25 | May 21 – September 27 |
| 1940 | St. Louis Cardinals | -14 | 15 | July 12 – September 29 |
| 1939 | Detroit Tigers | -10 | 10 | May 22 – September 27 |
| 1921 | St. Louis Cardinals | -10 | 22 | May 13 – September 30 |
| 1916 | New York Giants | -11 | 22 | May 08 – September 28 |
| 1916 | St. Louis Browns | -12 | 11 | July 22 – August 29 |
| 1915 | Boston Braves | -10 | 15 | July 14 – October 06 |
| 1914 | Boston Braves (World Series champ) | -16 | 35 | June 08 – October 05 |
| 1901 | Philadelphia Athletics | -12 | 12 | July 12 – September 28 |
World Series champs after being 10 games below .500
Note some of the teams on this list. They went on to win the World Series.
- 2019 Washington Nationals
- 2003 Florida Marlins: Ironically defeating the Cubs in the NLCS
- 1914 Boston Braves
Active teams who have never gone from 10 below to 10 above
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Cleveland Guardians
- Kansas City Royals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Minnesota Twins
- San Diego Padres
- Tampa Bay Rays
I highlight the Guardians, because they are only non-expansion team on this list.
A look at the reverse journey
While the journey from 10 games below .500 to 10 games above is remarkable, there is also the reverse scenario to consider. How often do teams that are 10 games above .500 suddenly find themselves 10 games below .500?
Interestingly, this has occurred 41 times in MLB history.
The master of the decline: the Chicago Cubs
Unsurprisingly, the Chicago Cubs have been the team that experienced this decline the most, with six instances of falling from a good winning record to a poor losing one.
- 2021: Their mid-season selloff when they dumped Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez.
- 1987 and 1985: The years between their two division championships in 1984 and 1989.
- 1975: The Cubs were adjusting to no longer having Banks, Santo, Billy Williams, and Jenkins. But they were good enough to win some games with Rick Reuschel, Jose Cardenal, Steve Stone, and Bill Madlock.
- 1955: I thought the Cubs might have done this more from 1947 to 1966. The team was pretty bad. But you can’t achieve this nose dive without winning enough games. Remember, you must be 10+ above 500 to qualify for this list. (During those 19 years, only three times were the Cubs ten games above .500 during the season).
- 1915: The best players on this team were guys nobody had heard of—Vic Saier (1B) and Jimmy Lavender (P).
When people hear the Cubs choking, everyone thinks of the 1969 Cubs. Indeed, that team failed to capture the NL East flag after being nine games in 1st on August 16th. But they never dipped below .500 that year. Their lowest record in the season’s last two months was 21 games above .500 (90-69) on September 27. If there were a wild card back then, the Cubs would have claimed it.
The next time someone brings up the 1969 Cubs as a choked team, correct that person and point out that the 1985 Cubs had a bigger fall.
The other teams who did the 10 above to 10 below downfall the most are:
5x: Reds.
3x: Orioles
2x: Giants, Pirates, Dodgers, White Sox, Red Sox, Rangers, Guardians
The biggest fall
Which team had the best record and then fell to 10 games below? Three teams were 16 games above .500, and then fell down the hole to 10 games below.
- 1985 Chicago Cubs went from 35-19 (1st place in NL East) on June 11. Dropping to 68-78 (5th place) on Sept 19.
- 1940 New York Giants went from 38-22 (3rd place in NL) on July 1. Dropping to 68-79 (6th place) on Sept 24.
- 1912 Cincinnati Reds went from 22-6 (1st place in NL) on May 19. Dropping to 53-63 (5th place) on August 24.
Full list of MLB teams that were 10 G above .500, then declined to 10 G below.500
| Year | Team | Most games above .500 | Most games below .500 | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 12 | -15 | April 29 – August 27 |
| 2022 | Los Angeles Angels | 11 | -21 | May 15 – August 25 |
| 2021 | Chicago Cubs | 11 | -23 | June 13 – September 28 |
| 2019 | Seattle Mariners | 11 | -28 | April 11 – September 08 |
| 2018 | New York Mets | 10 | -19 | April 15 – August 03 |
| 2017 | Baltimore Orioles | 12 | -12 | May 09 – October 01 |
| 2011 | Florida Marlins | 10 | -18 | May 28 – September 26 |
| 2009 | Toronto Blue Jays | 13 | -17 | May 18 – September 20 |
| 2006 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 12 | -10 | June 04 – September 07 |
| 2005 | Baltimore Orioles | 14 | -17 | June 21 – September 29 |
| 2005 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 10 | -20 | April 20 – September 30 |
| 2004 | Cincinnati Reds | 12 | -14 | June 06 – September 21 |
| 2002 | Cleveland Indians | 10 | -18 | April 15 – August 22 |
| 1999 | Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | -11 | August 06 – September 21 |
| 1997 | Colorado Rockies | 12 | -10 | May 06 – July 19 |
| 1991 | Cincinnati Reds | 10 | -14 | July 05 – October 06 |
| 1989 | Cincinnati Reds | 11 | -13 | June 10 – September 21 |
| 1988 | Cleveland Indians | 15 | -10 | June 08 – September 24 |
| 1987 | Chicago Cubs | 10 | -10 | May 24 – October 03 |
| 1986 | Baltimore Orioles | 13 | -16 | June 08 – October 05 |
| 1985 | Chicago Cubs | 16 | -11 | June 11 – September 19 |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 10 | -10 | May 01 – September 03 |
| 1983 | Texas Rangers | 11 | -12 | July 03 – August 30 |
| 1978 | Oakland Athletics | 14 | -24 | May 05 – October 01 |
| 1976 | Texas Rangers | 12 | -16 | July 06 – September 14 |
| 1975 | Chicago Cubs | 10 | -13 | May 15 – August 27 |
| 1973 | Chicago White Sox | 12 | -10 | May 31 – August 25 |
| 1970 | Atlanta Braves | 10 | -10 | June 04 – September 27 |
| 1963 | Boston Red Sox | 10 | -10 | July 15 – September 22 |
| 1955 | Chicago Cubs | 11 | -12 | June 09 – August 25 |
| 1953 | New York Giants | 10 | -15 | July 26 – September 23 |
| 1940 | New York Giants | 16 | -11 | July 01 – September 24 |
| 1927 | Chicago White Sox | 14 | -16 | June 06 – September 25 |
| 1920 | Boston Red Sox | 12 | -13 | May 26 – August 02 |
| 1917 | New York Yankees | 11 | -13 | June 26 – September 26 |
| 1915 | Chicago Cubs | 12 | -12 | June 25 – September 25 |
| 1914 | Cincinnati Reds | 11 | -34 | June 01 – October 03 |
| 1914 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 13 | -19 | May 25 – September 28 |
| 1913 | Brooklyn Superbas | 10 | -19 | May 19 – September 26 |
| 1912 | Cincinnati Reds | 16 | -10 | May 19 – August 10 |
| 1909 | Cleveland Naps | 12 | -11 | July 15 – October 01 |
Teams that never went from 10 above to 10 below
- Detroit Tigers
- Houston Astros
- Kansas City Royals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Minnesota Twins
- San Diego Padres
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Washington Nationals
Most of these teams are expansion teams, so it makes sense they haven’t gone through this drop yet. But look at the Tigers and Cardinals. Through their long history, they’ve never dropped off.
Just looking some more at that 1969 team. The Cubs OPS+ was 4th worst in the NL. The Mets were 2nd worst OPS+! Can you believe it? The two teams who finished atop the NL had some of the worst OPS. Of course, then their pitching is what gave them their wins. The Mets ERA+ was 1st in the NL. The Cubs OPS+ was 3rd.
Ernie Banks was the worst first baseman in the NL according to Wins above AVG by position. The great Ernie Banks!
The Cubs also had the worst CF, which was a combo of Don Young, Jim Qualls, Adolfo Phillips, and Oscar Gamble. So having he NL’s worst CF isn’t much a surprise here.
This is a great post!
Thanks Brad! I’ve been learning the programming language called R. It allows me to easily scrap stats from MLB, baseball-reference, and FanGraphs. Right now I pulled the season standings for every single team on every single day of every single year. It’s 440,000 rows! Something like 3.5 GB of data.
My next analysis will be… I’ve always liked the phrase “best team in baseball” and you look at the team who has the best record. It was fun in 2016 when the Cubs were “the best team in baseball”.
It’s a special time for fans of a particular team. So I want to analyze every single day, and see who was the best team in baseball. And then tally up which franchises held that title the most.
I’m guessing it’ll probably be pretty obvious. The Yankees will be very much on top. But I’d like to see all the other times when the Cubs were the best team in baseball. Or other random teams like the Orioles. Or has the Expos ever held that title?