Early Road Warriors
Posted by Steve Lombardi on May 19, 2010
The Tampa Bay Rays are playing their 40th game of the 2010 season this evening. And, it's at Yankee Stadium. So far this year, the Rays have won 15 times in the road. A win tonight would make it 16 road wins within their first 40 games of the season. Since 1969, which team has won the most road games within their first (overall) 40 games of the year? Via Baseball-Reference.com's Play Index Pitching Game Finder, here's the teams to have 15+ such wins - like the Rays have already locked up:
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Sure, there's a scheduling factor in play here - meaning that not all teams have the same amount of road games within the first 40, and, not all teams face the same level of opponents, etc. Nonetheless, props have to go out to the 1977 Dodgers and 1988 A's - with an honorable mention to the 1988 Mets - for taking their "A" game on the road to start their seasons.
May 19th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
The '84 Tigers' 17 wins are noteworthy in that they represented all 17 road games that the team had played through its first 40 games.
May 19th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
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May 20th, 2010 at 8:27 am
That Tigers team was 35-5, I believe, after 40! I didn't know that included 17-0 on the road! Awesome.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
The '84 Tigers' 17 wins are noteworthy in that they represented all 17 road games that the team had played through its first 40 games.
True, and their 41st game was a road loss. The 17 straight road wins at the beginning of a season is (not surprisingly) the major-league record. Two Tigers pitchers were magnificent on road mounds during this streak: starter Jack Morris (4-0, 0.79 ERA in four starts, 34 IP, 16 H, 9:31 BB/K, .142 BA against, .408 OPS against) and reliever Aurelio López (2-0, 1.06 ERA in seven appearances, four saves, 17 IP, 9 H, 4:18 BB/K, .155 BA against, .413 OPS against). After a one-inning appearance on opening day, all of López's road appearances during the streak lasted at least two innings, including a four-inning stint in a victory over the White Sox.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
How many of those teams in that list nonetheless had a perfect game thrown at them during that time?
May 20th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Only the Rays, DD, although the 1998 Yankees did get Wells' perfect game at home during the first 40 games of their schedule.
The 1904 Athletics, 1922 Tigers, and 1968 Twins, all of whom were on the receiving end of early-season perfect games, had respective road records of 7-7-1, 11-11-1, and 12-8 in the first 40 games of their schedules.