It’s pretty obvious that Major League Baseball has seen its fair share of legendary teams and Hall of Fame players throughout its rich history. Take Ernie Banks, for instance–his name still gets a lot of love even today. But then you have teams like the Cleveland Spiders, who tell a very different story. Can you believe that the Spiders ended the 1899 season with a dismal record of just 20 wins and 134 losses?

This wasn’t a case of just a few bad breaks or a rebuilding year gone wrong. This was a full-blown, slow-motion train wreck of a season, and the story behind it is somehow even more startling than the record itself. But that aside, thinking that the same state that produced such an epic baseball disaster is now one of the hottest spots for modern sports fans is just intriguing.

Since the Spiders’ collapse, Ohio has come a long way, with passionate fan bases and a growing online sports betting scene. Regardless of the sports you support, there are countless ways to get in on the action. And if you want to see how far the Buckeye State has come since the days of 20-134 baseball, read more about Ohio and check out some of the best OH online betting sites making headlines today. Now, let’s rewind to 1899 and dig into how the Cleveland Spiders went from a functioning franchise to the punchline of baseball history.

Factors that contributed to the team‘s failure

You will agree that besides the Cleveland Spiders, there are several other teams that have registered significant losses in what must have looked like a comedy of errors. The 1962 Mets are a perfect example. But what makes the story of the Cleveland Spiders stand out? To understand how a professional baseball team of such repute ended up with a 20-134 record, you have to look at ownership.

For some good time, the team boasted some of the most talented pitching staff. The likes of Cy Young, Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace were in their prime during the late 1890s. And don’t forget Jack Powell, who was already a renowned 20-game winner, just beginning his career that would see him win over 200 games.

You’d not think of a position where this team was not adequate. This led to the Cleveland Spiders finishing among the best, like in 1895, when they finished only three games behind Baltimore. A year later, in 1896, they finished second. Clearly, Cleveland was headed for greatness. But things changed when its owners, Frank and Stanley Robinson, purchased a second team, St. Louis.

How did owning St. Louis change things?

At this time of purchase, St Louis was bankrupt. Chris Von der Ahe, its owner, had huge debts and family problems, which he needed to address. Because of these pressures, Chris sold the franchise to Robinson, who already possessed Cleveland. Remember, in the late 1800s, baseball wasn’t nearly as regulated as it is today. Owners could do things that would now be considered clear conflicts of interest, like possessing two teams.

Something that shouldn’t escape your attention is that St Louis was no prize. Just two seasons before 1899, the team had finished dead last with a poor team. Still, at this time, Robinson was dissatisfied with his Cleveland team, where attendance was poor – no wonder he transferred Young and other top Spiders to St. Louis. Only Lave Cross, the Browns’ star third baseman, remained, and the name, ‘the Perfectos,’ was coined for St. Louis. Cleveland was just left with a shell of a team – second-string players, minor leaguers and benchwarmers.

This switch also meant the two teams would trade places in the standings. In the 1898 season, the Spiders ended up in fifth place, whereas St. Louis finished in 12th. However, in 1899, the revitalized Perfectos finished in the fifth place while Cleveland took their position in the cellar. So, while the Perfectos were being hyped up in St. Louis, the Spiders were abandoned to rot. It wasn’t just a lack of talent but a lack of any institutional support that set them up to fail even before the first pitch was thrown.

The collapse that changed Major League Baseball

The disaster in Cleveland was so complete that it forced Major League Baseball to make changes. The National League banned dual ownership of teams, directly in response to the Robison brothers’ decision to gut one team in favor of another. This also led to the teams being contracted from 12 to 8. Cleveland, unsurprisingly, was one of the teams cut.

Other disbanded clubs included the Baltimore Orioles (at the time), the Louisville Colonels and the Washington Senators. But only Cleveland left behind a record so awful that it became legendary.

Cleveland wouldn’t get another professional baseball team until the Naps arrived (later renamed the Indians, and now the Guardians). That franchise would go on to have its wins and losses, but no team from Cleveland would ever match the sheer hopelessness of the 1899 Spiders.

But there is always value in remembering them. Remember, ownership was the main reason this team failed. As much as you can’t downplay fan loyalty, how you manage a team determines whether it will withstand the competition. Imagine, because of ownership, the Spiders did not just lose games; they broke records doing it. And more than a century later, they are still alone at the bottom of the standings.