We're a little over two weeks into the 2023 MLB season, and the Rays still haven't lost a single game.
In a historic feat, Tampa Bay has tied the Major League Baseball record for the best start to a season, going undefeated in the team's first 13 games.
“Pretty amazing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “No doubt, when you do something like that, you’re playing really well. And there’s not one part of our game right now that we don’t feel good about.”
With this incredible run, they join the 1982 Atlanta Braves and the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers as the only teams in modern MLB history to start 13-0. However, hot starts don't always foreshadow a World Series ending. The 1982 Braves ended up losing in the National League Championship Series, and the '87 Brewers didn't even make the playoffs.
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The Rays' streak nearly came to an end Thursday night against the Boston Red Sox, but Tampa Bay was able to rally from behind with a seven-run fifth inning. They went on to win 9-3, securing their fourth straight sweep and the longest winning streak in franchise history.
Granted, the teams the Rays have faced so far — the Tigers, Nationals, A's, and Red Sox — aren't exactly expected to be around come playoff time, with a combined record so far of 15 wins and 36 losses. But all of the Rays wins have come in convincing fashion, with the team outscoring opponents by 71 runs to start the season.
Tampa Bay will look to set the modern-era MLB record Friday night with a win against the division rival Toronto Blue Jays.
Baseball's overall record was set nearly 140 years ago by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons, who won their first 20 games of the season.
