It looked as though the Oakland A’s could finish the 2023 season as the worst team in MLB history. They got off to an abysmal start, winning just 12 of their first 62 games, and pushing their run differential to an awful -200 through just two months of play.
The on-field troubles were compounded (and likely caused by) the off-field distractions. The franchise has long been rumored to be relocated, and they are on the front step of finalizing a deal with the city of Las Vegas to make it their new home. The poor product on the diamond has been viewed as a way for ownership to make the move an easier one.
Oakland A’s Have Won 7 Games In A Row
The A’s are the first MLB team since 1895 to win seven straight after entering the streak with a sub-.200 win pct (min. 25 games played) pic.twitter.com/DxxNfefEmR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2023
The A’s were the worst team in the majors by a long shot, even while others like the Kansas City Royals struggled mightily. But then something happened that hasn’t been done in the last 128 years.
Oakland has somehow, inexplicably rattled off seven wins in a row, and they may be erasing themselves from the record books. The team finished their game on June 5th having won just 4 of their previous 27 games, and were a full 7 games worse than the Royals who were sitting at 18-42.
But after they lost that first game of their series with the Pirates, they won the final two. They beat the Brewers next, giving them their first 3-game winning streak of the season.
They’ve remained hot. After beating the Brewers in three games for their first series sweep of the season, the A’s have taken the first two games from the league-leading Rays, and will have a chance to extend the run tonight.
Upcoming Schedule Is Favorable For Oakland
As planned A’s fans were standing and silent during the first batter of the fifth inning
They then broke into “sell the team” chants so loud that the pitcher thought his earpiece was broken pic.twitter.com/NI2sRLmPjV
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 14, 2023
The A’s are the first team since 1895 to have a seven-game win streak that began with their record at a sub-.200 mark. In other words, it’s the best that a bad team has ever done.
The win streak is the longest in the majors, and it coincides nicely with another streak. The Royals have lost 8 games in a row, and are now tied with Oakland for the worst record.
It will be interesting to see if the A’s can keep it up. They have two more games against the Rays, but their opponents for the rest of the first half of the season aren’t exactly the cream of the crop.
Only two of the final 7 series of the first half for the A’s are against teams that currently have winning records, and they’ll enter the All-Star break coming off of series against the White Sox, Tigers, and Red Sox.