Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, September 29 2009 @ 11:14 AM CST
Some numbers, from Joe Posnanski.[*1] The question: Has there ever been a team in Major League history that has lost 90 games with a starting pitcher and a “closer” reliever both of which have ERAs of under 2.25, as the Royals’ Zack Greinke and Joachim Soria both have this year?
The answer:
Using 2.25 ERA as a cutoff point, no team with what you might call a dominant starter and closer has come close to losing the 93 games (so far) that the Royals have lost.
If you click through to the article, you find that not only has it never happened before, but as Posnanski notes, it’s never even come close to happening.
In other words, a baseball team this bad doesn’t just happen. It takes work. This year’s Royals–except for Grienke and Soria–can therefore stake a good claim to being the Worst Major League Baseball Team Ever.
Well done, guys, well done.