The Cleveland Spiders circa 1890. Photo: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
The Guardianswill wrap up a series this afternoon with a lowly Chicago White Sox team on the verge of history.
Why it matters: Chicago is approaching the 1962 New York Mets' total of 120 losses, the most by any Major League Baseball team during a single season since 1900.
Yes, but: The key phrase is "since 1900," because the mark for the most losses in any season ever belongs to the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.
By the numbers: In their 13th and final season, the Spiders lost 134 games while winning only 20.
The team, which played at League Park, went 1-40 over its final 41 games.
State of play: Spiders owner Frank De Haas Robison also owned a second team, the St. Louis Perfectos.
Robison moved Cleveland's best players, including pitcher Cy Young, to St. Louis before the 1899 season.
The bottom line: The Spiders' franchise was eliminated when the National League contracted after the season, partly due to Robison's actions.
