« Transactions | Main | Weekend Photo »
April 14, 2006
"P A N I C !" Revisited
How often and do what extent does Texas recover from a bad start?
I’ve arbitrarily defined a bad start as being at least four games under .500 at any point during April. The team could sweep its next three-game series and still be under water.
The Rangers have found themselves in this position in thirteen of their 34 seasons. On how many occasions did Texas finish with a winning record?
Two. Just… two.
In 1978 the Rangers dropped to 2-9 after losing the front end of a double header against Detroit. They won the second game for a split, but another loss dumped them back to seven games under .500. Texas immediately won seven straight to climb to 10-10, then hovered within seven games of .500 for the next four months. At 69-71 on Septemebr 10th, Texas roared to a 19-4 finish and ended twelve games above .500 and five behind Kansas City in the West.
The 1991 edition started with four consecutive losses. Texas quickly erased that deficit by winning five of six, and soon afterward they began their memorable, franchise-record fourteen-game winning streak. Almost as memorably, they lost eleven of their next twelve (including a 4-3, 18-inning loss to Kansas City that I still remember). Texas never surpassed eleven games over .500 but also never relinquished their winning record.
In the other eleven seasons, Texas finished an average of 22 games below .500. Those seasons include three of the four Dark Age years of 1982-1985 and three of the four almost-as-dark years of 2000-2003. Interestingly, in seven of those eleven seasons the Rangers recovered to .500 or better at some point during the season. The 2000 squad (which initiated what I call the Post-Winning Era) stumbled to 8-15 but won 21 of 32 to climb to 30-26. Unfortunately, they played .387 ball (41-65) thereafter.
A History of Bad Starts and Season Finishes (sorted by final Win%):
YEAR |
Most Games Under .500 in April |
Most Games Over .500 for Season |
Most Games Recovered |
Season Wins |
Season Losses |
Season Pct% |
1978 |
-7 | 12 | 19 | 87 | 75 | .537 |
1991 |
-4 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 77 | .525 |
1975 |
-4 | 6 | 10 | 79 | 83 | .488 |
1987 |
-9 | 0 | 9 | 75 | 87 | .463 |
1994 |
-6 | 2 | 8 | 52 | 62 | .456 |
2002 |
-9 | -1 | 8 | 72 | 90 | .444 |
2000 |
-7 | 4 | 11 | 71 | 91 | .438 |
2003 |
-4 | -1 | 3 | 71 | 91 | .438 |
1988 |
-5 | 3 | 8 | 70 | 91 | .435 |
1984 |
-6 | 0 | 6 | 69 | 92 | .429 |
1982 |
-5 | 1 | 6 | 64 | 98 | .395 |
1985 |
-7 | -2 | 5 | 62 | 99 | .385 |
1973 |
-6 | -3 | 3 | 57 | 105 | .352 |
Posted by Lucas at April 14, 2006 01:34 PM