By a wide margin, the 2013 Houston Astros were the most dreadful team put out by the franchise at the major league level, including their expansion days. At 51-111, their season-ending .315 winning percentage and 45 games behind first both rank as club worst marks.
Using random.org, I generated a random year from 1962 to 2021, landing on 2013. I found the game played on this date that season, and honed in on the most “impactful” plate appearance.
The Stage
The Houston Astros entered the contest on June 20, 2013 with a record of 27-46, the worst record in the American League and 15 1⁄2 games behind the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics.