Which MLB team has the most all-time losses?

The Philadelphia Phillies have the most all-time losses among MLB franchises. Their record reflects a history dating to 1883, including many difficult seasons before the modern playoff era.

The club originally played as the Philadelphia Quakers and adopted the Phillies name in the 1880s. Long stretches of losing baseball, especially in the early twentieth century, built a deficit that later successful periods could not erase. Philadelphia’s franchise history includes 12 seasons with at least 100 losses.

That historical record can obscure the team’s modern achievements. The Phillies won World Series titles in 1980 and 2008, captured the National League pennant in 2022, and reached the postseason four straight times from 2007 through 2011.

The statistic is about cumulative regular-season franchise losses, not the worst single-season record or the most postseason defeats. A common mix-up is the Chicago Cubs or Cincinnati Reds, both older National League franchises with many losses; neither has surpassed Philadelphia’s total.