Up Next For Red Sox (5-4):Four Games In Tampa Bay; Rays (9-0); Have Won Every Game By 4+ Runs

The Red Sox have begun the season with a 5-4 record against the Orioles, Pirates, and Tigers, three teams you probably wouldn't pick to go very far in the postseason – or even qualify for the postseason. Sunday's win lifted the Red Sox out of the American League East cellar and into fourth place. Woo!

Now the fun begins.

On Monday, Boston begins a four-game series on the road against the hottest team in the game: the 9-0 Tampa Bay Rays. Hottest? The Rays are dispatching their helpless opponents in a way not seen for 140 years – which means not seen ever.

Over the weekend, Tampa Bay routed the Athletics twice: 11-0 and 11-0. Oakland managed only four hits in 18 innings: three singles on Saturday and one double on Sunday.

Tampa Bay has won each of its games by at least four runs. No major league team has begun a season with a streak like that since 1884, when the St. Louis Maroons had a 13-game streak. (The Maroons won their first 20 games, were 40-4 in early July, and finished the season 94-19-1.)

Keep in mind that 1884 was the first season in which pitchers were allowed to throw the ball overhand and the positioning of the pitcher's mound at its current distance from home plate was still almost ten years away. The National League was playing only its ninth season. Babe Ruth's father was only 14 years old. It was a long fucking time ago.

No team has bettered that 13-game streak at any point during a season.

Most Consecutive Wins, All By 4+ Runs

1884 St. Louis Maroons    13
1876 White Stockings      11
1939 Yankees              10
2023 Rays                  9 
1890 Louisville Colonels   9
1911 Pirates               9
1931 Senators              9
1938 Yankees               9

A list of the teams since 1900 is here.

The last team to start a season 9-0 was the 2003 Royals. Only six teams in AL/NL history have won 10 consecutive games to begin a season, the most recent being the 1987 Brewers.

Most Wins To Start Season (Since 1900)

1987 Brewers       13
1982 Atlanta       13
1981 Athletics     11
1955 Dodgers       10
1962 Pirates       10
1966 Cleveland     10

The Rays are one of six teams to start 9-0, along with the 1918 Giants, 1940 Dodgers, 1944 Browns, 1984 Tigers, 1990 Reds, 2003 Royals.

The Rays have scored 75 runs and allowed only 18 runs.

Highest Run Differential In A Team's First Nine Games

1884 St. Louis Maroons        +78
1884 New York Gothams         +63
2023 Tampa Bay Rays           +57
1882 Providence Grays         +54
1876 Hartfords of Brooklyn    +51

The next highest differential in the AL is +19 by the Yankees. The Brewers lead the NL at +25.

Nice Start: Cleveland reliever Tim Herrin made his major league debut on April 2. He faced four batters and struck them all out. Elias reports that he's the first pitcher to face at least four batters in his debut and strike all of them out since at least 1893, which was when the mound was moved to its current distance from home plate.