Chicago Cubs: 11,000 wins, A franchise standard
By Bill Felber
Trailing behind the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox have 9,612 wins.
The Red Sox have been an American League power second only to the Yankees. Since the franchise’s creation as an original member of the American League in 1901, the team has won 14 pennants – only the Yankees have more – and nine World Series.
Boston won the first AL-NL World Series in 1903, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in a best-of-nine format. Five of those nine World Wins wins were in the books by 1918, after which the franchise went through an 86-year drought that was only broken in 2004. Blame Babe Ruth; everybody in Boston does.
The franchise’s “golden” decade – the one that produced the most victories – came between 2001 and 2010. In that 10-season period, Boston teams never finished below .500, averaged 92.4 wins, made six post-season appearances, and won two World Series.
The Red Sox have enjoyed five other decades during which they averaged at least 81 victories, those being the 1910s (84.8), the 1940ss (86.6), the 1970s (89.1), the 1980s (82.6) and the 1990s (81.1).
The shortened 2020 schedule precipitated by COVID may deny them that opportunity for the present decade; they are on course to average about 80 wins per season.
Boston’s only truly horrid decade occurred in the 1920s, long enough ago for current fans to have no recollection. That’s a good thing. Between 1921 and 1930, the Red Sox averaged just 57.5 wins per season. They never reached first division status and occupied seventh or eighth place annually from 1922 through 1930.