TAMPA, Fla. — The temperature isn't the only thing that's been hot lately in Florida. The Tampa Bay Rays are not just 9-0 to start the season; the team is completely dominating the competition as it works to set more records.
The Rays' latest victory was an 11-0 blowout of the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. With the victory, the Rays became the first team since the 2003 Kansas City Royals to start the season 9-0.
But look a little deeper, and the record is even more impressive. Tampa Bay outscored its opponents by a combined score of 75-18 through those first nine games. The Rays' victories are averaging at least four runs.
If the Rays can win four more games in a row by four runs, the team would match the streak set by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association. Plus, Tampa's current streak of nine victories by at least four runs per game at any time in a season is the longest since 1939 (10 - New York Yankees).
Tampa's next goal may be equaling a streak not seen since 1987. That season, the Milwaukee Brewers tied the record for the longest winning streak to start a season with a 13-0 start (1982 Atlanta Braves also started 13-0).
“Essentially, everything is going exactly the way that we want to,” slugger Brandon Lowe said. “This is incredible baseball that we're playing."
And here's something that will put a smile on all of the faces of Rays fans everywhere. Of the teams that started out the season 13-0 or had an in-season streak of at least ten wins in a row by four runs, all of them made it at least to the championship series in the playoffs, with the '39 Yankees winning the World Series.
That's a long way off, though, and Tampa has plenty of work to do as it looks to extend its 9-0 start.
Tampa opens a four-game series with the Boston Red Sox starting Monday. The Red Sox are currently 5-4 but have not lost a road game yet this season.
