Chicago Cubs: 11,000 wins, A franchise standard
By Bill Felber
Also behind the Chicago Cubs are the Philadelphia Phillies with 9,836 wins.
The Phillies, founded in 1883 as the Quakers, are by record the least successful of the “original eight” National League clubs. In its 137-season history, the franchise has made 14 playoff appearances – about one per decade — although that enumeration is unfair to recent generations.
Between 1883 and 1979, Phillies teams only reached post-season play twice; since 1980 they’ve done so a dozen times, including five straight between 2007 and 2011.
Not surprisingly, that decade between 2001 and 2010 that produced five consecutive post-season teams also marked the high point in franchise history. Philadelphia averaged 88.2 victories per season during that period, easily a franchise high.
The only other decade during which Phillies teams averaged more victories than defeats was the 1970s. Philadelphia averaged 83 wins per season between 1971 and 1980, including divisional titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978 and the franchise’s first World Series win in 1980.
The bad years were many. During the 1920s, the Phillies averaged just 55.6 wins per season, improving only to 57.9 through the 1930s. In that 20-season block, Philadelphia teams brought up the bottom of the National League standings 10 times and only once finished as high as fourth. That was in 1932 when the team enjoyed a 78-win season, its highest victory total between 1917 and 1949.