Right here you’ll discover the longest successful and dropping streaks in MLB historical past, the longest successful streaks to start a season, the longest successful streak at dwelling to start a season and the longest dwelling and away streaks.
It is a time of polarization in Main League Baseball.
With the divide between the elite and bottom-feeders showing to be as massive as ever, groups loaded with All-Stars have been capable of put collectively streaks of the spectacular selection whereas different small-market or rebuilding golf equipment have suffered the extra miserable sort.
With a 162-game schedule, each excessive run or collapse looks as if it’s the greatest or worst in baseball historical past. However what number of latest streaks have truly been historic? And what are actually the best and worse streaks of all time?
Let’s have a look at a few of the extra dramatic, longest streaks which have occurred throughout the common season within the trendy period:
Longest Successful Streak: 26 New York Giants (1916)
The longest win streak since 1901 was established early in MLB historical past. The 1916 Giants received 26 video games in a row regardless of solely going 60-66 the remainder of the season. Whereas the MLB formally counts this because the longest win streak, this document is challenged by some who level to the truth that the Giants truly tied one recreation in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates between stretches of 12 and 14 consecutive victories. In equity, the sport was made up in its entirety the subsequent day as a part of a doubleheader, which the Giants swept. The 2017 Cleveland Indians personal the American League mark with 22 consecutive wins en path to 102 victories, however the Indians misplaced to the New York Yankees in 5 video games within the ALDS. Rounding out the highest 5 are the 1935 Chicago Cubs (21 straight wins), the 2002 Oakland Athletics of Moneyball fame (20) and the 1906 World Sequence champion Chicago White Sox (19).
Longest Dropping Streak: 23 Philadelphia Phillies (1961)
The homeowners of this unlucky streak are the 1961 Phillies, who misplaced 23 straight video games in a season wherein they completed 47-107. They lastly beat the Milwaukee Braves 7-4 on Aug. 20, 1961 for his or her first win in practically a month. The Cubs completed second-to-last within the Nationwide League standings that season, however nonetheless completed 17 video games forward of the Phillies. The 1988 Baltimore Orioles misplaced 21 straight video games to start out the season and the Chicago White Sox matched their AL-record mark over July and August of the 2024 season. These are the one groups since 1901 to lose greater than 20 in a row. The 1969 Expos, 1943 Philadelphia Athletics, 1916 Athletics and 1906 Boston People all misplaced 20 straight.
Longest Successful Streak to Begin a Season: 13 Tampa Bay Rays (2023), Milwaukee Brewers (1987) and Atlanta Braves (1982)
So far as we all know, there’s nobody alive from the 1884 St. Louis Maroons to argue this one. They began that season with 20 straight wins and completed 94-19, however guidelines are guidelines and that season was nearer to the top of the Civil Battle than it was to the beginning of baseball’s trendy period. As an alternative, it’s the 2023 Rays, the 1982 Braves and 1987 Brewers who’re tied for the longest season-opening successful streaks in MLB’s trendy period. That Braves group, managed by Joe Torre, completed the common season atop the NL West (sure, the Braves have been within the West) and have been swept by the St. Louis Cardinals within the NLCS. That Brewers group received 91 video games however completed seven video games again of the Detroit Tigers within the AL East. Playoff baseball was hardly the assure it generally feels it’s since turn into.
Kevin Money’s Rays have been one in every of solely seven groups relationship to 1901 to have began a season with a minimum of 10 wins after they opened 13-0 in 2023. And the 1884 Maroons aren’t the one ones turning of their graves for being left off that record. That very same yr, the New York Gothams began the season with 12 straight wins however went .500 from there and altered their identify the subsequent season to the New York Giants.
Longest Dropping Streak to Begin a Season: 21 Baltimore Orioles (1988)
The 1988 Orioles simply personal this mark as the subsequent longest skid was the Cubs’ 14-game drought to start the 1997 season. It was the worst season because the franchise moved to Baltimore at 54-107 earlier than the Orioles went 47-115 in 2018, 54-108 in 2019 and 52-110 in 2021.
Longest Successful Streak at Residence: 26 New York Giants (1916)
The San Diego Padres lived as much as the hype early within the 2021 season. They have been seemingly a lock for an eventual postseason berth after working off a 12-game dwelling win streak from Might 5-June 4. That streak is properly wanting the document of 26 consecutive dwelling wins, set by the 1916 Giants, and it’s been a very long time since any group got here near difficult that document. In truth, of the ten groups with a house successful streak of a minimum of 18 video games, solely the 2004 Houston Astros has come because the flip of the century, and 6 of the ten longest dwelling successful streaks got here earlier than 1950.
Longest Successful Streak at Residence to Begin a Season: 14 Tampa Bay Rays (2023)
If we’re going all the way in which again to the start {of professional} baseball, the Chicago White Stockings personal this mark with 21 straight dwelling wins to open the 1880 season. Then there was the long-forgotten St. Louis Maroons, who started the 1885 season with 14 straight victories at dwelling. Two years later, the Detroit Wolverines took a run on the previous document with 18 consecutive dwelling wins in 1886. However within the trendy period, the Dodgers ended the 1911 Detroit Tigers’ document of 12 straight dwelling wins nearly 100 years later in 2009. The 2023 Rays not solely received their first 13 video games of the season total, additionally they broke the Dodgers’ document with an 8-3 win at Tropicana Subject in opposition to the defending champion Houston Astros on April 24.
Longest Dropping Streak at Residence to Begin a Season: 17 New York Yankees (1913)
Longest Dropping Streak at Residence: 20 St. Louis Browns (1953)
The 1953 Browns had such a foul time at dwelling, they determined to pack up and transfer the subsequent season. That yr, the Browns misplaced a document 20 straight video games at dwelling, beating the Washington Senators on June 2 and never successful once more till July 8 in opposition to Cleveland. On the finish of the season, the group relocated to Baltimore and have become the Orioles. The Browns broke the document of 19 straight dwelling losses by the 1906 Boston People, whose dwelling dropping streak coincided with their total dropping streak of 20 video games in a row. The 1913 Yankees and 1996 Tigers each misplaced 17 in a row at dwelling, and the 1926 Purple Sox have the fifth-worst streak at dwelling with 16 straight losses.
Longest Successful Streak on the Street to Begin a Season: 17 Detroit Tigers (1984)
The Tigers opened the season an unbelievable 17-0 on the highway and 35-5 total in 1984. They rolled all the way in which to a 104-58 document underneath Sparky Anderson and beat the San Diego Padres within the World Sequence. The 1941 St. Louis Cardinals are second on this all-time record with 12.
Longest Dropping Streak on the Street to Begin a Season: 21 Washington Senators (1894)
The Senators have this mark all to themselves with the next-closest groups (4) tied at 13 straight highway losses. The newest occurrences have been the 1969 Houston Astros and people beforehand talked about 1988 Orioles.
Longest Successful Streak on the Street: 17 Detroit Tigers (1984)/New York Giants (1916)
We talked about the 1984 Tigers beforehand, however they solely matched the Giants’ mark of 17 straight highway wins throughout the 1916 season. These Maroons that began 20-0 in 1884 and the 1912 Washington Senators are subsequent on the record with 16 consecutive victories away from dwelling.
Longest Dropping Streak on the Street: 24 Arizona Diamondbacks (2021)
The Orioles are most likely grateful that the Diamondbacks managed to set the document for many consecutive losses on the highway throughout the very same month that Baltimore couldn’t win a recreation away from dwelling. The 2 streaks ended inside someday of one another, as Baltimore ended its 20-game slide away from Camden Yards with a 6-5 win in 10 innings in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays on June 25 and the Diamondbacks snapped their 24-game highway skid that started Might 4 on the Miami Marlins in much less dramatic style on June 26, blowing out the Padres 10-1. Alongside the way in which, they misplaced 4 every to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants. The 1985 Pittsburgh Pirates have been the newest group to lose a minimum of 18 video games on the highway (19), whereas 9 groups did it earlier than 1964.
Analysis help supplied by Tim Abel and Emory Brinkman.
