The Rays have been smokin’ hot to start the year. They won again last night…but for the first time this year, it was by less than 4 runs.
I wanted to compare the rays start to other ridiculously hot starts in baseball.
They haven’t broken the record yet for an undefeated start.
The 1987 Brewers and the 1982 Atlanta Braves share the major league record for the best start to a season at 13-0.
The Rays also fell one game short of the 1939 New York Yankees as the most recent team to win 10 consecutive games by four or more at any point in a season.
The 13-0 start in 1982 did help the braves win the NL West…they were swept out of the playoffs by the Cardinals that year.
Reminder: Back in the 80's, there were 2 divisions in each league (East & West) and the winners of the divisions met in the AL and NL Championship Series, that was the entirety of the postseason.
The 13-0 start for the Brew Crew in 1987 got them to 91 wins, but not a playoff birth. Again, different times.
I don’t have any relevant data to support what this means for the Rays in modern day baseball. All of the teams that have started 10-0 in a season played in 1987 or earlier. The Rays are truly entering uncharted waters.
For what its worth…and its minimal. The only team to ever start 10-0 or better and make it to the World Series, were the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Good news is, they won the series.
The photo below adds some context to the historical aspect of the conversation. Visit CBSsports.com for more info.
Photo: Getty Images