1916 New York Giants

1916 New York Giants / Franchise: San Francisco Giants / BR Team Page

Record: 86-66, Finished 4th in National League (1916 NL)

Managed by John McGraw

Ballpark: Polo Grounds IV

History, Comments, Contributions

From September 7 to 30, the 1916 New York Giants were unbeaten in 27 consecutive games, the longest such streak in major league history. The streak included 26 wins and one tie, a 1-1 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates which was called after nine innings because of rain in the second game of a doubleheader on September 18th. The streak took the Giants from playing below .500 to the heart of the pennant race, but they still fell short of catching the National League leaders: they finished in fourth place, 7 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Robins, and also behind the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves.

The streak is considered by some, including the Elias Sports Bureau, as the longest winning streak in major league history. However, because the tie broke it into two strings of 12 and 14 wins respectively, most observers give that nod to the 2017 Cleveland Indians, who won 22 straight games with no ties intervening, with the National League record going to the 1935 Chicago Cubs with 21 straight wins without a blemish. Before the Giants' streak, the longest unbeaten streak had been of 22 games, accomplished by the 1880 Chicago White Stockings. That streak had also included a tie.

Further Reading

• Max Blue: "McGraw's Streak", The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 43, Number 1 (spring 2014), pp. 26-32.
• Jorge L. Ortiz: "Why the 1916 New York Giants' MLB record 26-game winning streak stands, despite a tie", USA Today Sports, September 14, 2017. [1]