The Tampa Bay Rays opened the 2023 season as one of the favorites to win the World Series – boasting a healthy balance of reliable pitching and quality batters. The only question was whether they would live up to the hype or crack under pressure. While it’s still too early in the season I think we have our answer!
The Rays ended up starting the year on a historic note by winning their first 13 games – that’s right, they began the season 13-0! Their impressive 13-0 start tied an MLB record for longest winning streak to start a season – matching the Atlanta Braves, who did it in 1982, and Milwaukee Brewers, who did it in 1987.
Of course, those winning streaks are just a modern-day record and pale in comparison to the 1884 St. Louis Maroons – who opened the season with a 20-0 record. Nonetheless, the Rays ended up breaking a franchise record for longest overall winning streak – which was set at 12 straight wins in the 2004 season.
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Recapping the Tampa Bay Rays’ Record-Tying Winning Streak
Getting a win in the MLB is never easy and getting a series sweep is a difficult task – after all, we only see a little more than 200 sweeps each season across the MLB. That’s what makes the Tampa Bay Rays’ start to the 2023 season so special – they strung together four consecutive series sweeps out the gate.
“Pretty amazing. No doubt when you do something like that, you’re playing really well. And there’s not one part of our game right now that we don’t feel good about,” said manager Kevin Cash. “To go on a run like this, everything’s got to be clicking, and you’ve got to get contributions from all parts of your roster.”
And it’s not like their wins were close – 11 of their 13 wins to start the season were by at least four runs and they outscored their opponents 101-30 (a difference of 71 runs). Even more impressive, they held a lead in 111 of their 117 innings played during that streak and hit 32 home runs in those first 13 games.
To commemorate history being made early in the season, let’s take a game-by-game look at their streak!
1. 4-0 Win vs. Detroit Tigers (March 30)
On March 30, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-0 in Game 1 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-240) and the game had an over-under of 6.5 runs. They finished the game with six hits, four runs, and zero errors – the Tigers had six hits in the game.
Jose Siri got things started with a home run in the 3rd inning, while Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley each had an RBI single in the 6th inning. Wander Franco finished the scoring with a home run in the 8th inning. Shane McClanahan got the win, pitching six scoreless innings with six strikeouts on Opening Day.
2. 12-2 Win vs. Detroit Tigers (April 1)
On April 1, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Detroit Tigers 12-2 in Game 2 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-190) and the game had an over/under of 7.0 runs. They finished the game with 13 hits, 12 runs, and 2 errors – Detroit had six hits and two runs in the loss.
Arozarena hit an RBI double in the 1st inning, but the Rays really put the heat on with seven runs in the 3rd inning. Yandy Diaz hit a two-run home run in the 4th inning and Franco had a two-RBI double in the 7th inning. Zach Eflin got the win with 5 strikeouts and just one run allowed in 5.0 innings pitched.
3. 5-1 Win vs. Detroit Tigers (April 2)
On April 2, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in Game 3 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-278) and the game had an over/under of 7.5 runs. They finished the game with eight hits, five runs, and zero errors – Detroit had just two hits and one run.
Arozarena got things started off again with a home run in the 4th inning. Two innings later, Isaac Paredes hit an RBI single and Siri hit a two-run single to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. A wild pitch led to the Rays’ fifth run in the 8th inning. Jeffrey Springs got the win with 12 strikeouts in 6.0 scoreless innings pitched.
4. 6-2 Win vs. Washington Nationals (April 3)
On April 3, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 6-2 in Game 1 of a three-game series on the road. The Rays entered as favorites (-190) and the game had an over/under of 8.0 runs. They finished with nine hits, six runs, and one error – the Nats had four hits, two runs, and two errors.
Raley hit home runs in the 1st and 8th innings, giving him three RBIs on the day. Fancisco Mejia had a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning, Paredes hit a home run in the 4th inning, and Manuel Margot had a sacrifice fly in the 9th inning. Drew Rasmussen got the win with seven strikeouts in 6.0 scoreless innings.
5. 10-6 Win vs. Washington Nationals (April 4)
On April 4, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 10-6 in Game 2 of a three-game series on the road. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-178) and the game had an over/under of 9.0 runs. They finished with 10 hits, 10 runs, and zero errors – the Nats had 16 hits, but only six runs.
The Rays scored three runs in the 1st inning and Siri hit a home run in the 2nd inning to take an early 4-0 lead. Arozarena got his second RBI of the night in the 8th inning, while Raley, Josh Lowe, and Diaz each hit a home run in the 9th inning. Ryan Thompson got the win after entering the game in the 8th inning.
6. 7-2 Win vs. Washington Nationals (April 5)
On April 5, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 7-2 in Game 3 of a three-game series on the road. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-267) and the game had an over/under of 8.5 runs. The Rays finished with 11 hits and zero errors, while the Nationals had six hits and one error.
A sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning gave the Rays a 1-0 lead, while Franco hit a two-run home run in the 3rd inning. The Rays scored three runs in the 6th inning – including a home run by Harold Ramirez – and Arozarena had an RBI single in the 7th inning. McClanahan got the win with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
7. 9-5 Win vs. Oakland Athletics (April 7)
On April 7, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Oakland Athletics 9-5 in Game 1 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-267) and the game had an over/under of 7.5 runs. The Rays finished with 10 hits and zero errors, while the A’s finished with 12 hits and zero errors.
The Rays scored six runs in the 2nd inning thanks to a home run by Ramirez and grand slam by Paredes. Christian Bethancourt and Margot each had a home run in the 3rd inning, while Franco added a home run of his own in the 8th inning. Eflin earned his second victory with seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
8. 11-0 Win vs. Oakland Athletics (April 8)
On April 8, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Oakland Athletics 11-0 in Game 2 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-320) and the game had an over/under of 7.5 runs. The Rays finished with eight hits and one error, while the Athletics had three hits and zero errors.
Paredes hit a two-run single in the 4th inning and Arozarena hit a two-run single in the 5th inning to open the scoring. Margot hit a solo shot and Brandon Lowe hit a three-run shot in the 6th inning, while Arozarena hit a two-run shot in the 8th inning. Springs got the win with 7 KOs in 7.0 scoreless innings.
9. 11-0 Win vs. Oakland Athletics (April 9)
On April 9, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Oakland Athletics 11-0 in Game 3 of a three-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-320) and the game had an over/under of 8.0 runs. The Rays finished with 12 hits and zero errors, while the Athletics had just one hit and one error.
Franco had a home run in the 1st, B. Lowe had a grand slam in the 4th, and Ramirez had a two-run shot in the 5th. Arozarena had an RBI single in the 6th, B. Lowe had an RBI single in the 7th, and J. Lowe had an RBI single in the 8th. Rasmussen got his second win of the year with 8 KOs in 7.0 scoreless innings.
10. 1-0 Win vs. Boston Red Sox (April 10)
On April 10, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-0 in Game 1 of a four-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-160) and the game had an over/under of 8.5 runs. The Rays finished with five hits and zero errors, while Boston had three hits and zero errors.
The game was scoreless through seven innings, but the Rays finally took the lead with a solo home run by B. Lowe in the bottom of the 8th inning. Colin Poche earned his first win of the year after entering the game in the 8th inning, while Pete Fairbanks earned the save with one strikeout in the 9th inning.
11. 7-2 Win vs. Boston Red Sox (April 11)
On April 11, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-2 in Game 2 of a four-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-178) and the game had an over/under of 7.5 runs. The Rays finished with 11 hits and zero errors, while Boston had six hits and one error in the loss.
Paredes, Diaz, B. Lowe, and J. Lowe each hit a solo home run in this one. Franco had himself an RBI double and Vidal Brujan had an RBI single – an error by the Red Sox gave the Rays their seventh run of the game. McClanahan earned his third win of the year with nine strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched.
12. 9-7 Win vs. Boston Red Sox (April 12)
On April 12, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-7 in Game 3 of a four-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-140) and the game had an over/under of 8.5 runs. The Rays finished with 11 hits and zero errors, while the Red Sox had 10 hits and one error.
Arozarena hit a three-run home run in the 1st inning and the Rays scored three more runs in the 4th inning to take a 6-1 lead. Two more runs in the 5th inning gave them an 8-3 lead and Arozarena hit a sacrifice fly in the 8th inning. Taj Bradley earned his first win, while Fairbanks got his second save.
13. 9-3 Win vs. Boston Red Sox (April 13)
On April 13, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-3 in Game 4 of a four-game series at home. The Rays entered the game as favorites (-250) and the game had an over/under of 8.0 runs. The Rays finished with 10 hits and zero errors, while the Red Sox had four hits and zero errors.
Diaz hit a home run in the 1st inning, but the Rays were down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. The Rays took control in that inning, scoring seven runs with six hits, two walks, and one hit by pitch – B. Lowe added a solo shot in the 7th. Kevin Kelly got the win and Braden Bristo got the save.
What’s Next for the Tampa Bay Rays?
The Tampa Bay Rays’ impressive streak came to an end on April 14, when the team lost 3-6 to the Toronto Blue Jays. They went on to lose two of their three games against the Blue Jays, suffering their first series loss of the season, and followed that up with an 8-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on April 17.
Despite losing three games in a four-day stretch, the Tampa Bay Rays bounced back and won the final two games of their three-game series against the Reds. Through the first 19 games of the season, they boast a 16-3 record and had their first day off since April 5 – after the team won their sixth straight game.
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With the way the Tampa Bay Rays are playing right now, they’ve emerged as a clear favorite to win the AL East and are certainly among the favorites competing for a World Series title. Considering they’ve never won a World Series before, this could be the year they do it – though there’s a lot of season left!
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