Baseball Guru
06-23-2004, 09:33 PM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040623&content_id=778034&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
Team, league milestones reached in run
By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com
What can a 12-game winning streak, and the best record in the Majors (23-6) since May 20, do for a team?
Give them greater hope -- even if that team is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who have never finished out of last place in the American League East.
For a point of reference, the Rays need only check back one year to the day to the record of their in-state rivals, and opponent this weekend, the Florida Marlins. With a record of 38-39, the Marlins were in fourth place, 12 1/2 games out of the NL East lead. And all they did was go on to win the World Series.
Not that the Rays are suddenly favorites to win the World Series this year. No, at 33-34, the next step is to reach .500. The last time they had an even record after May 1 in any season was when they were 22-22 on May 23, 1999.
In fact, in their six years of existence, the Rays have spent just 38 days later than June 1 out of last place. All of those days were either in the 1999 or 2000 season.
RAYS-ING THE BAR
With a win on Wednesday, the Rays could reach the .500 mark at the latest point in a season in their history. Here are the latest points when the Rays have been at .500 in past seasons.
2003: 1-1 on April 1
2002: 4-4 on April 11
2001: 1-1 on April 4
2000: 2-2 on April 6
1999: 22-22 on May 23
1998: 11-11 on April 26
The Rays have been in third place in the AL East for a week this June. The Rays had never been in third place in June.
If the Rays beat Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, they will become only the second team in Major League history to get to .500 after being 18 or more games below that mark earlier in the season. The 1899 Louisville Colonels are the only team to do it so far.
When the streak began, the Rays were 21-34 and had a winning percentage of .382. The last team with a winning percentage of .382 or lower to have at least a nine-game winning streak was the Royals in 2002. They won nine in a row from July 13-20.
The 12-game streak is six games longer than any winning streak in Rays history and it matches the longest streak in the Majors over the last two seasons. The Diamondbacks won 12 in a row from June 18-30 last season.
The last AL team to win more than 12 consecutive games was the 2002 Oakland A's, who won an AL-record 20 straight games. The Major League record for consecutive wins is 26, held by the 1916 New York Giants, though they did record one tie during that streak.
Manager Lou Piniella, who won 15 games in a row with the Mariners in 2001 -- the year they won a record 116 regular-season games -- has tried to temper his excitement because he knows his team still has many needs.
"I'm pleased we are playing well, but let's not get too carried away," Piniella said. "This team is not out of the woods yet."
Team, league milestones reached in run
By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com
What can a 12-game winning streak, and the best record in the Majors (23-6) since May 20, do for a team?
Give them greater hope -- even if that team is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who have never finished out of last place in the American League East.
For a point of reference, the Rays need only check back one year to the day to the record of their in-state rivals, and opponent this weekend, the Florida Marlins. With a record of 38-39, the Marlins were in fourth place, 12 1/2 games out of the NL East lead. And all they did was go on to win the World Series.
Not that the Rays are suddenly favorites to win the World Series this year. No, at 33-34, the next step is to reach .500. The last time they had an even record after May 1 in any season was when they were 22-22 on May 23, 1999.
In fact, in their six years of existence, the Rays have spent just 38 days later than June 1 out of last place. All of those days were either in the 1999 or 2000 season.
RAYS-ING THE BAR
With a win on Wednesday, the Rays could reach the .500 mark at the latest point in a season in their history. Here are the latest points when the Rays have been at .500 in past seasons.
2003: 1-1 on April 1
2002: 4-4 on April 11
2001: 1-1 on April 4
2000: 2-2 on April 6
1999: 22-22 on May 23
1998: 11-11 on April 26
The Rays have been in third place in the AL East for a week this June. The Rays had never been in third place in June.
If the Rays beat Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, they will become only the second team in Major League history to get to .500 after being 18 or more games below that mark earlier in the season. The 1899 Louisville Colonels are the only team to do it so far.
When the streak began, the Rays were 21-34 and had a winning percentage of .382. The last team with a winning percentage of .382 or lower to have at least a nine-game winning streak was the Royals in 2002. They won nine in a row from July 13-20.
The 12-game streak is six games longer than any winning streak in Rays history and it matches the longest streak in the Majors over the last two seasons. The Diamondbacks won 12 in a row from June 18-30 last season.
The last AL team to win more than 12 consecutive games was the 2002 Oakland A's, who won an AL-record 20 straight games. The Major League record for consecutive wins is 26, held by the 1916 New York Giants, though they did record one tie during that streak.
Manager Lou Piniella, who won 15 games in a row with the Mariners in 2001 -- the year they won a record 116 regular-season games -- has tried to temper his excitement because he knows his team still has many needs.
"I'm pleased we are playing well, but let's not get too carried away," Piniella said. "This team is not out of the woods yet."