It’s still quite early in the 2023 Major League Baseball season, but already the Tampa Bay Rays are well on their way to a sixth-straight winning season and fifth-straight playoff berth. That’s because at this writing the Rays have barged to a 10-0 start. It’s fair to point out that the streak thus far has come against what’s likely lackluster competition — i.e., the Tigers, Nationals, A’s, and Red Sox — but 10 straight wins to begin a season is deeply impressive in any context.
Not surprisingly, the Rays’ current run numbers among the longest season-opening win streaks ever recorded. Speaking of which, let’s have a quick look of where the Rays’ 10-0 mark stands among those great opening acts in MLB history.
Team Year Win streak to begin season Final record Final result Atlanta Braves 1982 13 89-73 Lost NLCS Milwaukee Brewers 1987 13 91-71 Missed postseason Oakland Athletics 1981 11 64-45* Lost ALCS Tampa Bay Rays 2023 10 (and counting) TBD TBD Brooklyn Dodgers 1955 10 98-55-1 Won World Series Pittsburgh Pirates 1962 10 93-68 Missed postseason Cleveland Indians 1966 10 81-81 Missed postseason
*-Season shortened by labor stoppage
Only one of the above teams — the 1955 Dodgers — went on to win the World Series. However, two teams who started their seasons 9-0 and just missed this list, the 1984 Detroit Tigers and 1990 Cincinnati Reds, wound up hoisting the trophy. Also worth noting is that two of the above teams that missed the playoffs, the ’87 Brewers and ’62 Pirates, probably would’ve made it under the current alignments and expanded postseason.
As for Tampa Bay’s road ahead, they have three more games against the Red Sox at home, and then their biggest test of the season comes with a three-game road series against the Blue Jays that starts on Friday. Potentially that series opener against the Jays will occasion the Rays’ attempt to break the record shared by the ’82 Braves and ’87 Brewers.