The Tampa Bay Rays aren't messing around to start the 2023 season. They won on Wednesday, again, on the strength of Shane McClanahan's arm and the bats of Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena and others. The final count was 7-2.
The Rays are now 6-0. The are the only undefeated team while only the Braves and Brewers have one loss; every other team has fallen at least twice. The Rays, though, haven't even played in a close game. They've won all six games at by least four runs. Here's the sequence of final scores to this point:
- 4-0
- 12-2
- 5-1
- 6-2
- 10-6
- 7-2
This is the longest streak of wins by four or more runs to start a season since the 1884 St. Louis Maroons did it 13 times (via Sarah Langs). Basically, you could frame this as the best start in modern baseball history.
Add it up and that's 44 runs scored in six games with only 13 allowed, good for a +31 run differential. They ended +52 last season and that was good enough to get them to the playoffs.
In looking ahead, the Rays have the chance to do some serious damage. They head home with an off day Thursday and then host the Athletics for a three-game weekend series. The A's are among the least talented teams in baseball. Immediately after that series ends, the Red Sox come to town for a four-game series. The Red Sox have started the season 2-4 and were just swept at home by the Pirates.
Simply, it's entirely plausible that next week at this time, we're still talking about the undefeated Rays. Obviously, knowing what we know about baseball, the tide could turn immediately and the A's could always storm into St. Petersburg and take two of three. Still, there's a real chance at more history here and the Rays are presently worth monitoring.
This is already a franchise record. The longest previous winning streak to start a season for the Rays or Devil Rays was three (2022, 2012, 2002). They had only started 2-0 two other seasons (2021, 2010).
In looking ahead, here are the longest streaks to start a season in AL history:
- 13 - 1987 Milwaukee Brewers (yes, they were in the AL then)
- 11 - 1981 Oakland A's
- 10 - 1966 Cleveland Indians
- 9 - 2003 Kansas City Royals, 1984 Detroit Tigers, 1944 St. Louis Browns
- 8 - 1982 Chicago White Sox
- 7 - 2016 Baltimore Orioles, 2015 Kansas City Royals, 1996 Texas Rangers, 1952 Cleveland Indians, 1933 New York Yankees
That's a dozen teams. The Rays join the group with another win.
If we expanded for all of Major League Baseball, the 1982 Atlanta Braves are tied with the Brewers at a 13-0 start and there are 27 teams that have started 7-0. Only 15 have gotten to 8-0, 12 to 9-0 and six to 10-0.
The Rays will host the A's at 6:40 p.m. ET on Friday with Zach Eflin (1-0, 1.80) getting the ball against Ken Waldichuk (0-1, 9.53).
