Sen. Ted Cruz Tops Mike Morgan’s Record

It can’t be easy starting your career with an 0-11 record but Texas Senator Ted Cruz has done it with pride.

According to the Washington Times:

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been on the losing side of every vote the Senate has taken in his young career — the only senator who can claim that distinction, boosting his anti-establishment credentials and earning him rave reviews from grass-roots conservatives.

The 42-year-old tea party favorite entered the Senate chamber last week at the bottom with his first two votes and walked away with nine more losses under his belt.

So far, he is 0-for-2013 — he has been on the losing end of 11 votes — and that’s just fine with the Texas Republican.

Upon reading this, I wondered if baseball ever had as big a loser as Cruz and it turns out that it hasn’t, at least according to records available going back to 1916.

The closest any pitcher has come to starting his MLB career on such a long losing streak is Mike Morgan, who from June 11, 1978 to July 24, 1979 made the first nine starts of his career for the Oakland A’s and went 0-9. Morgan was 18-years old when started in the bigs, a first-round draft choice, pitching straight out of high school.

Morgan compiled a 6.46 ERA during this streak and in 46 innings he allowed 67 hits and walked 34, while striking out just four (4). He did throw one complete game (in his first start losing to the Orioles, 3-0) and obviously received poor defensive support as of the 41 runs he allowed, only 33 were earned.

Here are Mike Morgan’s 1978 starts

Here are his 1979 starts ending with his first win