Two teams in North America are simultaneously riding their longest winning streaks in over 70 years.
In Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox have turned their season around with a 14-game winning streak that saw the team go from 11 games under .500 at 37-48 and last place in the American League East to three games over .500 at 51-48 and third place in the East with a 1 1/2-game lead on the third and final AL wild card berth. South of the border, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol have rattled off 14 straight wins, too, pushing their record to 53-25 and opening up an 8 1/2-game lead on the Olmecas de Tabasco.
For both teams, the streaks are historic.
The Sox’ streak is the longest of the season, and win tonight against Baltimore at Fenway Park would tie the longest streak in franchise history, a mark set in 1946 when they won 15 straight games from April 25 to May 10. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the current Red Sox streak is also tied for the second-longest winning streak by a team that began the string 11-or-more games under .500, joining the 1999 San Diego Padres, who won 14 in a row from June 18 to July 9, and the 1916 St. Louis Browns, who won 14 straight from July 23 to Aug. 4. Over their last 21 games, the BoSox are19-2 with a +53 run differential, having outscored opponents 112-59.
The longest streak by a team 11-or-more games under .500? A few months before the Browns won 14 straight, the New York Giants rattled off 17 wins a row from May 9-29, starting the run at a dismal 2-13 and finishing it six games over .500. Both the Giants (86-66) and the Browns (79-75) finished the season with winning records but didn’t make the postseason.
The Red Sox will face Baltimore in Boston today at 1:35 p.m. EDT, with Jake Bennett starting against Baltimore’s Dean Kremer in the first game of a split doubleheader. The Red Sox have yet to announce a starter for the nightcap, which will begin at 7:10 p.m. EDT. Both games will be televised on NESN in New England and on MASN in the Baltimore/Washington area.
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In Mexico City, the Diablos haven’t lost since July 4, when they dropped the first game of a doubleheader against the Piratas de Campeche that marked the return of Trevor Bauer to the Diablos’ starting rotation. Over their past 14 games, they’ve outscored opponents 107-50, swept and shutout the Olmecas de Tabasco over a three-game set and held opponents scoreless for 28 consecutive innings, and won a wild, record-setting 19-inning marathon on Tuesday night to keep the streak alive. The Diablos’ 14th consecutive win equals a team record set in 1940, the year the team was founded, when the club won 15 straight games.
The Diablos will face their Zona Sur-rival, the Bravos de Leon, at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday night with a chance to extend their streak to 15 games, with Justin Courtney starting for the Diablos against Felipe Gonzalez for Leon. All Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games are streamed live with a subscription on LMB TV, and a season subscription is on sale for MX$799 (about US$46) until April 30. Select games are streamed live on the YouTube page for Latin American network Claro Sports.
Photo: Boston Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett will start the early game of a split doubleheader against Baltimore Wednesday as the Sox try to extend their 14-game win streak. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
