The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 to start the season a perfect 10-0.
They have been absolutely destroying teams.
Before this win, they had won every game by four or more runs.
They were beloved in Brooklyn after finally winning a World Series in their eighth attempt.
They even beat the Yankees to do so and did so in dramatic fashion.
Game 7 was a complete game shutout by 22 year old Johnny Padres.
That 10-0 start wasn’t a fluke as they were 22-3 after 25 games.
Even the Dodgers won 102 that year.
The Mets going 40-120 made the league very top heavy.
After 28 games, they were 14-14.
Despite starting 10-0 (and even 14-1), the 1966 Indians were a mess.
Their manager Birdie Tebbetts quit in August and the team finally finished in 5th place with a 81-81 record.
So who is left?
Who do the Rays need to catch next?
This meant having his starting pitchers throw complete games 94 times in 1980.
At first, it really worked.
The 1979 A’s had gone 54-108 and in 1980 they were 83-79.
Martin also had his 21 year outfielder Rickey Henderson stealing 100 bases in the season.
In 1981, it was more of the same.
They got off to a 11-0 start and at one point were 17-1.
1981 was the strike season so there was a long 50 day break in the middle of the season.
This may have saved the A’s rotation from completely falling apart.
They did make the playoffs and got knocked out the ALCS.
By 1982, it all fell apart.
The starting pitchers all got hurt or were ineffective.
The offense even got worse.
They went 68-94 and it would be Billy Martin’s last season as manager of the A’s.
1982 Atlanta Braves
Dale Murphy is Brandon Walker’s favorite player.
He’s not a Hall of Famer and I don’t think he should be.
He just got old too early.
He just wasn’t an effective player after he was 31.
But he did have a peak and it was pretty fucking good.
Murphy won the NL MVP in both 1982 and 1983.
The 1982 team managed to win 13 games in a row to start the season.
It would also be their last playoff team until the Braves dynasty began in 1991.
Paul Molitor had a 39 game hitting streak.
Juan Nieves threw the first no hitter in franchise history.
Finally, the Brewers started off 13-0 (and at one point were 17-1).
But behind Robin Yount and Teddy Higuera, they did rally back and still won 91 games.
If it was 2023 playoff rules, they would have made it to October.
But as it was, they went home in 3rd place losing the division to the Detroit Tigers.
Where will this Rays streak stop at and what kind of team will they be?
I lean towards them being a very good team and this streak isn’t entirely a fluke.
That offense won’t hold up all season.
They are slugging .564 as a team.
As for the streak?
They have three more at home against the Red Sox before heading to Toronto.
13 (and beyond?)
is definitely in play.
