Editing Detroit Tigers (section)

===Most losses in franchise history (2003)===
{{Main|2003 Detroit Tigers season}}
Dave Dombrowski hired popular former shortstop Alan Trammell to manage the team in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|first=Larry|last=Lage|title=Tigers Hire Trammell As Its Manager|url=https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Tigers-Hire-Trammell-As-Its-Manager-10554425.php|website=The Edwardsville Intelligencer|agency=Associated Press|date=October 9, 2002|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011217/https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Tigers-Hire-Trammell-As-Its-Manager-10554425.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> With fellow 1984 teammates Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish on the coaching staff, the rebuilding process began.<ref name=Anderson/> On August 30, 2003, the Tigers' defeat at the hands of the [[2003 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]] caused them to join the [[1962 New York Mets season|1962 New York Mets]], who were a first-year expansion team, as the only modern MLB teams to lose 100 games before September.<ref>{{cite web|title=Thomas has 10 homers in past 12 games|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=230830106|website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press|date=August 30, 2018|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011342/http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=230830106|url-status=dead}}</ref> They avoided tying the 1962 Mets' then modern MLB record of 120 losses only by winning five of their last six games of the season, including three out of four against the [[2003 Minnesota Twins season|Minnesota Twins]], who had already clinched the AL Central and were resting their stars.<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=Lapointe>{{cite web|first=Joe|last=Lapointe|title=BASEBALL; The Tigers Are Happy To Avoid Making History|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/sports/baseball-the-tigers-are-happy-to-avoid-making-history.html|website=The New York Times|date=September 29, 2003|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830112418/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/sports/baseball-the-tigers-are-happy-to-avoid-making-history.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Mike Maroth]] went 9–21, becoming the first pitcher to lose 20 games since [[Brian Kingman]] lost 20 for the [[Oakland Athletics]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/20gameLosers.shtml |title=Pitchers With 20 or More Losses in a Season |access-date=September 26, 2008 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |archive-date=October 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014032201/http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/20gameLosers.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Maroth, [[Jeremy Bonderman]] (6–19), and [[Nate Cornejo]] (6–17) were the top three pitchers in losses in the entire major leagues, the first time in history that this had occurred.<ref name=Pressley>{{cite web|title=The Ten Worst Major League Baseball Seasons|url=http://writing.jmpressley.net/sports/worstseasons.html|website=JM Pressley Writing|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003021224/http://writing.jmpressley.net/sports/worstseasons.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Kornacki>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=Kornacki|title=Tigers challenged Mets' futility record in 2003|url=https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2008/12/tigers_challenged_mets_futilit.html|website=MLive|date=December 28, 2008|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914210347/https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2008/12/tigers_challenged_mets_futilit.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|The 1952 Tigers had the top three losers in the AL, but not the major leagues.<ref>{{cite web|title=1952 Major League Pitching Leaders|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1952-pitching-leaders.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 15, 2021|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915164142/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1952-pitching-leaders.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The Tigers finished 43–119, the worst record in franchise history.<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=Lapointe/><ref name=Kornacki/> This eclipsed the previous AL record of 117 losses set by the [[1916 Philadelphia Athletics season|1916 Philadelphia Athletics]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Game Lost Records|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/games_lost_records.shtml|website=Baseball Almanac|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005223817/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/games_lost_records.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> which was later surpassed by the [[2024 Chicago White Sox season|2024 Chicago White Sox]].<ref name="2024 WS ESPN">{{cite web|title=White Sox tie record for most losses since 1900 with 120|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41386496/white-sox-tie-record-most-losses-1900-120|website=ESPN.com|date=September 22, 2024|access-date=September 23, 2024|archive-date=September 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922232104/https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41386496/white-sox-tie-record-most-losses-1900-120|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2024 WS NBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/white-sox-mlb-record-losses-rcna172288|title=Chicago White Sox lose 121st game this season, most in baseball history|date=September 27, 2024|access-date=September 28, 2024|first=Rohan|last=Nadkarni|work=NBC News|archive-date=September 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929001557/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/white-sox-mlb-record-losses-rcna172288|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Sharkey-Gotlieb">{{cite web|first=Simon|last=Sharkey-Gotlieb|title=Ranking the 2024 White Sox among the worst teams in MLB history|url=https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3071835|work=theScore|date=September 29, 2024|access-date=September 29, 2024|archive-date=September 29, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240929234948/https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3071835|url-status=live}}</ref> While the 2003 Tigers rank as the fourth worst team in major league history based on total losses,<ref name="2024 WS ESPN"/><ref name="Sharkey-Gotlieb"/> they fare slightly better based on winning percentage. Their .265 win percentage is the majors' seventh-worst since 1900.<ref name=Pressley/><ref name="Sharkey-Gotlieb"/> {{Further|List of worst Major League Baseball season records#Modern era (1900–present)}}