Presidents typically place phone calls to winners. They congratulate coaches for championships, superstars for milestones, and Olympic athletes for gold medals.
But Ronald Reagan was motivated by a different impulse on April 25, 1988. He called Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame outfielder who had signed on as Baltimore’s manager earlier in the month. The Orioles had sputtered to an 0-6 start before Robinson’s arrival, and they couldn’t stop losing. Their record was 0-18 when the phone rang.
“Frank, I know what you’re going through,” Reagan began.
Robinson was compelled to interrupt. “With all due respect,” he said, “no you don’t, Mr. President.”
The Orioles would suffer three more defeats before finally securing their first victory on April 29. They finished the month with a 1-22 record, having been outscored by 3.4 runs per game. Their April winning percentage of .043 was easily the worst for any team in the Modern Era (1961 to the present).
The Orioles improved as the 1988 season went on — how could they not? — though they still finished 53 games below .500. Their record was a miserable 54-107, which was 14 games worse than anybody else in the American League.
The irony is that the same franchises that enjoyed the era’s best Aprils (as we discussed on Tuesday) also suffered the worst opening months. The Orioles top both rankings, with the Indians as runners-up both times. Cleveland lost its first five games in 1969, squeaked past the Tigers in extra innings, and then suffered 10 straight defeats en route to a 2-15 mark.
The rundown below covers the 12 Modern Era clubs that ended April with the worst winning percentages, a list that is confined to teams that played at least 10 games during the month.
If you’re looking for hopeful signs, check the last two entries. The 1969 Astros and 1973 Cardinals somehow bounced back from abysmal Aprils to finish their respective seasons with .500 marks.
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1. Baltimore Orioles (1988)
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Record in April: 1-22 (.043)
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Record in rest of season: 53-85 (.384)
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Overall record: 54-107 (.335)
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Postseason: None
2. Cleveland Indians (1969)
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Record in April: 2-15 (.118)
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Record in rest of season: 60-84 (.417)
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Overall record: 62-99 (.385)
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Postseason: None
3. Detroit Tigers (2003)
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Record in April: 3-21 (.125)
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Record in rest of season: 40-98 (.290)
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Overall record: 43-119 (.265)
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Postseason: None
4. (tie) Washington Senators (1962)
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Record in April: 2-13 (.133)
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Record in rest of season: 58-88 (.397)
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Overall record: 60-101 (.373)
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Postseason: None
4. (tie) Chicago Cubs (1981)
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Record in April: 2-13 (.133)
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Record in rest of season: 36-52 (.409)
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Overall record: 38-65 (.369)
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Postseason: None
6. Chicago White Sox (1968)
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Record in April: 2-12 (.143)
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Record in rest of season: 65-83 (.439)
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Overall record: 67-95 (.414)
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Postseason: None
7. Kansas City Royals (1992)
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Record in April: 3-17 (.150)
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Record in rest of season: 69-73 (.486)
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Overall record: 72-90 (.444)
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Postseason: None
8. Atlanta Braves (1988)
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Record in April: 3-16 (.158)
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Record in rest of season: 51-90 (.362)
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Overall record: 54-106 (.338)
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Postseason: None
9. (tie) New York Mets (1964)
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Record in April: 2-10 (.167)
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Record in rest of season: 51-99 (.340)
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Overall record: 53-109 (.327)
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Postseason: None
9. (tie) Kansas City Athletics (1966)
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Record in April: 2-10 (.167)
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Record in rest of season: 72-76 (.486)
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Overall record: 74-86 (.463)
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Postseason: None
9. (tie) Houston Astros (1969)
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Record in April: 4-20 (.167)
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Record in rest of season: 77-61 (.558)
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Overall record: 81-81 (.500)
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Postseason: None
9. (tie) St. Louis Cardinals (1973)
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Record in April: 3-15 (.167)
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Record in rest of season: 78-66 (.542)
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Overall record: 81-81 (.500)
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Postseason: None
