Posted By:
Dave ReyGil --
While that was a bad staff -- it wasn't the worst, though it's certainly in the running...
The worst staffs ever?
The 1911 Boston Rustlers -- Cy Young's last team. Team ERA for the season was 5.08 in a league where the league average for the season was 3.39. The Rustlers' team ERA was 49 percent worse than the league avg. That team went 44-107.
By comparison, the 1930 Philadelphia NL team was "only" 35 percent above the league average: 6.71 team ERA vs. 4.97 league avg. ERA. Plus, that team played in the Baker Bowl -- a hell for pitchers.
The Rustlers also had some park issues, as the South End Grounds were also a pitcher's nightmare.
Taking park factors into account, I'm pretty sure the actual worst staff of all time was that of the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics -- formed after a Connie Mack fire sale, the average age of that staff was 22... The '15 A's team ERA doesn't look that bad, at 4.29, but when you figure in that the league average ERA was 2.93, you see the big gap -- a 46 percent gap. The A's played in a neutral hitting park that year so their "bad-ness" was all on their young arms. The end result was a 43-109 record.
Other bad staffs, equal to or worse than 1930 Phils (35 percent worse than lg. ave. ERA):
1955 KC A's -- 5.35 ERA in a 3.96 avg ERA league = 35 percent worse than lg.
1954 Phl A's -- 5.18 ERA in 3.72 avg ERA lg. = 39 percent worse than lg.
1919 Phils -- 4.14 ERA in a 2.91 avg ERA lg = 42 percent worse than lg.
1916 Phl A's -- 3.92 ERA in 2.82 ERA lg = 39 percent worse than lg.
1907 Boston NL -- 3.33 ERA in 2.46 ERA lg = 35 percent worse than lg.
1904 WSH -- 3.62 ERA in 2.60 ERA lg = 39 percent worse than lg.
Man, they've seen a lot of bad pitching in Philadelphia.
As you can see, even a staff with a 3.33 ERA can be bad, given the context...