The Fate of 100-Loss Managers

As I watch my Orioles every day creep closer to an inevitable 100 losses (and the probable sayanora to Dave Trembley) I began to wonder about the fates of the other managers over time who lost 100 games in a season.

So, I went through every team since 1901 (formation of the AL) to see.

Here’s what I found (through 2008):

NL: 61 times a team lost at least 100 games, 35 (57.3%) of those managers kept their job. Of those 35, five produced winning records the next season while nine lost 100 again (this includes the 1965 Mets, which retained Casey Stengel but replaced him with Wes Westrum after 95 games).

AL: 75 times a team lost at least 100 games, 51 (68%) of those managers kept their job. Of those 51, five produced winning records the next season while 14 lost 100 again (this includes the 1963 Senators, 1965 A’s and 2005 Royals, all of whom got rid of the manager they brought back during the season).

(Total: 136 times, 86 managers retained (63.2%))

Notable:

• No manager since Frank Robinson in 1989 has produced a winning record after his team lost 100+ the previous season (and Robinson managed to lose 101 in ’88 even though he didn’t manage the entire season; Cal Ripken Sr. was fired after six games). Obviously Don Wakamatsu should end that streak (but the streak of a returning manager accomplishing the feat will remain).

• No manager has produced a winning record after losing 100 in the NL since Roger Craig in 1987. Of course, Craig took over only the final 18 games in San Francisco’s 100-loss season in 1986. If you want a manager who returned after a full season, Leo Durocher won 87 for the ’67 Cubs after he guided them to 103 losses in ’66.

• The first manager to lose 100 and keep his job was Hugh Duffy, whose Phillies went 52-100 in 1904. The next season under Duffy the team went 83-69.

• Other managers who posted winning records after their team lost 100+: Hugo Bezdek, 1918 Pittsburgh (went 65-60 after a 51-103 ’17; Bezdek was the team’s third manager that season, sporting a 30-59 record); Connie Mack, 1947 A’s (78-76 after a 49-105 ’46); Gene Mauch, 1962 Phillies (81-80 after a 47-107 ’61); Billy Martin, 1974 Texas (84-76 after a 57-105 ’73; Martin managed only the final 25 games in ’73) and Pat Corrales, 1986

• Indians (84-78 after a 60-102 ’85; unfortunately for Corrales, the team reverted to ’85 play in ’87 and he was fired after a 31-56 start en route to a 61-101 season for the Indians).

• Among those who replaced 100-loss managers and sported a winning record the following season, there are only two (soon to be three): Bob Kennedy, 1963 Cubs (82-80 after a 59-103 ’62) and Billy Martin (yes, he is the only one to do it twice), 1980 A’s (83-79 after a 54-108 ’79)

• Finally, there is the case of Fred Tenney. He was 51-103 with Boston of the NL in 1905, but kept his job … and Boston went 49-102 in 1906. And yet he kept his job once more, although this time Boston “only” lost 90 (58-90). He was done as a manager. That is until Boston, which lost 108 games in 1909 and 100 in 1910 without Tenney hired him back for the 1911 season. Boston went 44-107. Thankfully, that ended Tenney’s major-league managerial career.

To download a spreadsheet of all 100-loss managers, please click here .