Just when it looked as if the Rays’ quest for history might face an abrupt end, they found a way to turn a rough start into another runaway result.
And it’s anyone’s guess how long this record-setting run could last.
It’s becoming harder by the day to ignore what we’ve seen from Tampa Bay, which rallied on Thursday to beat the Red Sox and extend its perfect record to 13-0.
That’s tied for the best start in MLB’s modern era, matching the marks set by the 1982 Braves and 1987 Brewers.
And if the Rays win again on Friday, they’ll stand alone in the baseball record books.
That isn’t to say this team is the best of all time or even this season, as Tampa Bay is still dealing at 11/1 to win the World Series at BetMGM.
That’s a far cry from the team’s preseason price of 22/1, though it’s still tied for the sixth-shortest odds on the board, even after Thursday’s historic win.
Truth be told, we’ve never seen anything quite like these Rays.
And their historic efforts to this point deserve your attention.
Entering Friday, Tampa Bay leads the majors in runs scored (101) and fewest runs allowed (30), tallying the best run differential through 13 games (+71) in the modern era.
Eleven of the Rays’ 13 wins have come by at least four runs, and they’ve trailed after just six of their first 117 innings — tied with the 1884 New York Gothams for the second-lowest total in MLB history.
They’ve also homered in each of their first 13 games, becoming just the fifth team to do that since 1901.
Their 32 home runs are tied for the most by any team through 13 games over the last century and, incredibly, outpace this team’s total runs allowed entering Friday.
Even with one of MLB’s lowest payrolls, this isn’t some two-week blip from an also-ran roster.
Former No. 1 overall prospect Wander Franco ranked second in fWAR (1.1) and fourth in SLG (.720) ahead of Thursday’s win, while postseason hero Randy Arozarena was tied for the third-most RBIs (15) before knocking in another run on Thursday.
Those two are among 11 Tampa Bay hitters with at least one home run through the first 13 games, which speaks to just how dangerous this lineup is on a daily basis.
In classic Rays fashion, this rotation has vastly exceeded expectations, too.
Entering Thursday, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs were the only qualified starters yet to allow an earned run, and they each ranked in the top five in FIP and SIERA.
Shane McClanahan (1.59 ERA) joined those two in the top 10 in called strike+whiff rate (CSW%), a strong metric for predicting future pitching success.
That’s to say nothing of injured star Tyler Glasnow (oblique), a Cy Young-level arm who should be back soon, or top prospect Taj Bradley, who punched out eight batters in his debut on Wednesday.
To be clear, none of this means that Tampa Bay will finish the job in October.
Only one of the previous six teams to open a season with at least 10 straight wins went on to win the World Series, and three of them missed the postseason altogether.
In fact, the last team to start 13-0 was the ’87 Brewers, who eventually peaked at 20-3 before losing 18 of their next 20 games to eventually miss the playoffs.
The same fate befell the 2004 Devil Rays, who set a then-franchise record with 12 straight wins in mid-June before losing over 60 percent of their remaining games to fall short of the postseason.
That likely won’t be the case here, but the savvy play is still to wait until Tampa Bay’s current win streak inevitably cools off instead of buying into an inflated price.
That said, this team feels like a “buy” in general, and I wouldn’t fault anyone for paying the price now to avoid missing out altogether.
If the Rays keep playing how they have to this point, there may not be time to waste.