Rays to the Top

In the previous 10 seasons of their existence, the Tampa Bay Rays were never close to first place when they woke up on July 1. This season — after beating the Red Sox on June 30 — the Rays went to bed on June 30 knowing they would be on top of the AL East when action started in July. The closest they were before that was in 2000 when they sat in the AL East cellar and trailed the Toronto Blue Jays by 10 ½ games.

It took 11 seasons for Tampa Bay to be listed in first place at the end of June. This week, we take a look at how long it took the other 29 franchises to find their way to the top of their league or division at the start of play on July 1.

ONE SEASON

CHICAGO CUBS
(First Year – 1876 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1876)

Then known as the White Stockings, Chicago was the first team to lead the National League during its inaugural season of 1876. When July began, the White Stockings were 24-5 and held a one game lead over the Hartford Dark Blues. On July 6, Chicago fell out of first place after losing to Hartford 6-2 but bounced back two days later and retook the league lead with a 9-3 win. The win over Hartford started an 11-game winning streak and the White Stockings finished 52-14 — six games ahead of Hartford and the St. Louis Brown Stockings — to claim the National League Pennant.

CINCINNATI REDS
(First Year – 1882 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1882)

Today’s Cincinnati Reds were actually the third franchise to play in Cincinnati during baseball’s first seasons. As part of the newly formed American Association, the team then known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings held a half-game lead over the St. Louis Brown Stockings when play began July 1. From then on, Cincinnati dominated play and finished 55-25 — the highest winning percentage in franchise history — and were awarded the first-ever American Association Pennant. The Red Stockings never won the American Association again and in 1890 joined the National League with an official name change to the Reds.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1901)

In the first American League season, the Chicago White Stockings — unofficially the Sox until 1904 — were on the tail end of a 10-game winning streak which had them 2 ½ games up on the competition at the end of June. The “Sox” fell out of first place on July 7 after losing to the Detroit Tigers but reclaimed the lead after beating the Orioles franchise, then known as the Milwaukee Brewers, on July 10. After that, the “Sox” never looked back and finished 30 games above .500 and won the AL by four games over the Boston Americans to claim the first ever AL Pennant.

TWO SEASONS

ATLANTA BRAVES
(First Year – 1876 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1877)

The Atlanta Braves were known as the Boston Red Caps during their first seven seasons in the National League before becoming the Boston Beaneaters (it took a while for the Braves to become the Braves and even longer to move to Atlanta but that’s for another article). In their second season in the National League, the Red Caps led the NL by one game at the end of June. Boston lost their lead on July 24 and fell as far as four games back before going on amazing 20-1 run to finish the season and win the second-ever NL Pennant by eight games. Tommy Bond pitched all but three games that season and went 40-17 with a 2.11 ERA and the team finished 42-18.

THREE SEASONS

BOSTON RED SOX
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1903)

Originally the Boston Americans, the ’03 version led by player-manager Jimmy Collins and 36-year-old pitcher Cy Young sat on top of the American League by three games at the end of June and rolled to the American League Pennant with a 91-47 record, 14 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. The Americans moved on to the first-ever World Series and won the Best-of-Nine series over the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three.

COLORADO ROCKIES
(First Year – 1993 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1995)

The expansion Rockies led the late-starting 1995 season (due to the players’ strike of 1994), when play began on July 1. Colorado fell out of first place that day when they lost 5-4 to the Dodgers but reclaimed the top spot the next day with a 10-1 win over those same Dodgers. They led the NL West for most of the remainder of 2005 but slumped in the second half of September and were passed by Los Angeles. The Rockies joined the New York Yankees as the first two teams to ever make the postseason without winning their division as their record earned them the title of first Wild Card team in Major League history. The Rockies promptly dropped the first two postseason games in Coors Field history and eventually lost the series three games to one to the Atlanta Braves.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
(First Year – 1998 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 2000)

In 1999, the Arizona Diamondbacks won 100 games and made their first playoff appearance where they exited in the first round. The D-Backs followed their amazing sophomore season by leading the NL West at the end of June and held onto the division lead through July before falling out of first place. Arizona struggled down the stretch with a September/October record of 12-18 and finished in third place in the NL West with an 85-77 record — 12 games behind the San Francisco Giants. Arizona won their first World Series the next season and the team that made their Major League debut during the same season as the Tampa Bay Rays has made a total of four postseason appearances in their first 10 seasons.

FOUR SEASONS

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
(First Year – 1882 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1885)

Then known as the Browns, St. Louis dominated the American Association in 1885. They took over the American Association lead for good on May 7, won 17 consecutive games and never looked back. By the end of the season, the Browns finished 79-33, 46 games over .500, and won the American Association by 16 games over the Cincinnati Red Stockings. While there was no official World Series, there was an exhibition between the American Association champion Browns and the National League champion Chicago White Stockings which ended in a 3-3-1 tie. It is noteworthy to mention that the Browns led the National League after July 1 in their second and third seasons but were not in first place at the end of June in either season.

FIVE SEASONS

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(First Year – 1884 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1888)

Initially, the Dodgers started out as the Brooklyn Atlantics in the American Association. By the time they owned the top spot in the American Association at the end of June in 1888, the franchise had changed their name twice — from the Atlantics to the Grays to the Bridegrooms. Brooklyn fell out of first place with a loss on July 1, reclaimed the spot on July 3 and again fell out of first place on July 22. Despite a 10-game winning streak to close out the season, the Bridegrooms finished 6 ½ games behind the St. Louis Browns and would later join the Reds and jump from the American Association to the National League in 1890 after winning the American Association in 1889.

CLEVELAND INDIANS- 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1905)

Another team with an identity crisis at the beginning of their existence, the Cleveland Indians were known as the Blues and Bronchos in their first two seasons in the American League. Their first time on top of the American League at the end of June did not come until they were known as the Naps — named after their future Hall of Fame player-manager Nap Lajoie. The Naps owned a half game lead and were 15 games above .500 at the start of July but things went south and the team finished two games under .500 and 19 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics in fifth place in the American League.

SIX SEASONS

NEW YORK YANKEES
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1906)
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1906)

At the end of play on June 30, the Yankees (then known as the Highlanders) were tied with the Philadelphia Athletics for first place in the American League. As the season progressed, both teams spent time on top of the American League standings but neither team was able to close out the season on top. The Highlanders came closer to knocking off the Chicago White Sox finishing just three games behind the team that would go on and beat their cross-town rivals in the World Series. As for the Athletics, they could not answer the challenge of defending their American League Pennant and would not get a second shot at World Series glory until 1910.

SEVEN SEASONS

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
(First Year – 1977 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1983)

In his second year as the manager of the Blue Jays, it looked like manager Bobby Cox had his team poised at taking down the AL East division. Toronto led the AL East by two games as play ended on June 30. They held on to first place until July 26 when they fell a half game behind the Orioles and the Tigers. They were later passed by the New York Yankees and finished fourth in the AL East with a respectable 89 wins — a franchise record at the time.

EIGHT SEASONS

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1908)

It took a while for the Orioles to move to Baltimore. As a matter of fact, the original Baltimore Orioles actually became the New York Yankees. Before the Orioles franchise moved to Balitmore, they spent one season in Milwaukee as the Brewers and the next 52 seasons as the St. Louis Browns before moving to Baltimore in 1954. The Browns were a half game ahead of the Cleveland Naps on July 1 but after they lost 2-1 to the Naps, they dropped to a half game behind. The Browns were able to climb back into first but were not able to hold on to the spot and finished a distant 6 ½ games out in fourth place.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
(First Year – 1969 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1976)

In his first full season as manager, Whitey Herzog had his Royals in first place by 3 ½ games at the end of June. The Royals continued to own the top spot in the AL West — a place they stayed for 126 days — and earned their first postseason berth in franchise history. They lost in the ALCS to the Yankees and repeated the process in 1977 and 1978 when they won the AL West and lost the ALCS to the Yankees again. Herzog would move on after 1979 when the Royals failed to win the West and the Royals did not capture their first World Series until 1985 when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals — managed by Whitey Herzog — in seven games.

NINE SEASONS

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
(First Year – 1883 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1891)

Originally the New York Gothams, the San Francisco Giants officially became known as the Giants while playing in New York in 1885. In 1891, the Giants had already captured two World Series championships and were on their way to a shot at a third with a one game lead as play began on July 1. The team struggled from July on, playing sub-.500 ball and finished in third place in the National League, 13 games behind the Boston Beaneaters.

DETROIT TIGERS
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1909)

Hughie Jennings’ Tigers won the American League in 1907 and 1908 but lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs. In 1909, the Tigers dominated play early and owned a 5 ½ game lead over the rest of their competition at the start of play on July 1. The team eventually lost their league lead in the standings but regained it before the end of the season. Ty Cobb and Co. made it to the World Series for the third consecutive season but lost the Series to Honus Wagner’s Pirates in a great seven games series.

NEW YORK METS
(First Year – 1962 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1970)

Fresh off their improbable World Series championship in 1969, the Amazin’ Mets were looking for a repeat performance in 1970. The team had a two game lead over the Pirates after a 7-6 win over Pittsburgh on June 30. The Mets could not match their 1969 performance though and the Pirates would pass them by the end of the year. The Mets finished in third place, six games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

TEN SEASONS

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
(First Year – 1883 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1893)

Featuring an impressive outfield of Hall of Famers Sam Thompson, Billy Hamilton and Ed Delahanty, the Philadelphia Phillies were poised to capture their first NL Pennant in 1893. As June finished up, the Phillies were in a dead heat with the Boston Beaneaters and Brooklyn Grooms. The Phillies stayed in first place until July 27 and finished 23-27 in August and September which dropped them to fourth place in the National League.

ELEVEN SEASONS

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
(First Year – 1969 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1979)

Then the Montreal Expos, the team eventually known as the Nationals would not make their first playoff appearance until the strike-altered 1981 season but made a good run at a playoff spot in their 11 ^th season. Behind Larry Parrish, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Ellis Valentine and an aging Tony Perez, the Expos held a 6 ½ game lead over the NL East competition when July began. Unfortunately, Dick Williams’ Expos struggled in July and could not hold off the Pittsburgh Pirates who won the division by two games. Their 95 wins was a franchise record that has remained the benchmark for future teams to beat. In 1994, the Expos were again on track to win the NL East and on pace to win 100 games but the strike of ’94 wiped out any chance of that.

TAMPA BAY RAYS
(First Year – 1998 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 2008)

Not only have the Rays not come anywhere near first place at the end of June, in four of their previous 10 seasons, the Rays were at least 20 games out of first place when games began on July 1. However, their futility was previously surpassed by nine other franchises.

TWELVE SEASONS

FLORIDA MARLINS
(First Year – 1993 / First Season In First Place at Beginning of July – 2004)

Sometimes being in first place at the end of June is overrated. Take the Florida Marlins, for example. In 2004, the Jack McKeon-led Marlins were in first place when July started for the first time in franchise history and looked like they might be headed to their first-ever NL East division crown. However, even the NL East division title was somewhat unimportant to the Marlins who won World Series championships in 1997 and 2003 by making the postseason as the Wild Card. First place in the NL East would have to wait — and is still an unachieved franchise goal today — as the Marlins faltered and fell to third place, 13 games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves.

SIXTEEN SEASONS

SAN DIEGO PADRES
(First Year – 1969 / First Season In First Place at Beginning of July – 1984)

In their third season under manager Dick Williams, the Padres owned the top spot in the NL West at the start of July 1 ^st action for the first time in their franchise history. They also earned their first NL West title and NL Pennant behind the hitting of Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey before falling short in five games against the Detroit Tigers. Since 1984, the Padres have captured the NL West four times and made one more failed World Series appearance in 1998 where they were swept by the Yankees.

EIGHTEEN SEASONS

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
(First Year – 1961/ First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1978)
TEXAS RANGERS
(First Year – 1961 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1978)

Like the Athletics and Yankees, the Angels and Rangers are forever linked through history. On June 30, 1978, the Rangers held a one-game lead over the then California Angels but lost to the Angels 4-2 which put the two teams into a virtual tie on top of the AL West. Coincidentally, neither team would win the AL West that season — that distinction fell to the Kansas City Royals — and both teams finished in a deadlock for second place, five games behind the Royals. The Angles captured the division title the very next season but it took the Rangers until 1996 to finally achieve an NL West title.

HOUSTON ASTROS
(First Year – 1962 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1979)

While it took the two teams from Florida an average of 11 ½ seasons to head into the dog days of summer with a division lead, it took the two teams from Texas an average of 18 seasons to own the top spot at the start of July 1. Although a case could be made that the Texas Rangers spent their first 11 seasons as the Washington Senators, the Astros have been in Houston for the duration of their franchise’s existence. Originally known as the Colt .45s, the Astros never finished higher than third before the 1979 season. That season, they held a seven game lead in the NL West on July 1 but were two games under .500 from July-September and finished 89-73, one and a half games behind the Cincinnati Reds. Since 1979, the Astros made nine postseason appearances but did not make it to the World Series until 2005 where they were swept by the Chicago White Sox.

TWENTY SEASONS

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
(First Year – 1882 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1901)

Originally the Pittsburg Alleghenys of the American Association, the Pirates moved to the National League in 1887 and changed their name to the Pirates (adding an “h” to Pittsburgh) in 1891. 11 seasons later, the Pirates finally were on top of the National League at the start of July. Their early success also led to the first of three consecutive National League Pennants under Hall of Fame player-manager Fred Clarke. In 1903, the Pirates captured their third consecutive Pennant then lost the first-ever official World Series in eight games to the Boston Americans.

TWENTY-ONE SEASONS

SEATTLE MARINERS
(First Year – 1977 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1997)

Two seasons prior to 1997, the Seattle Mariners captured their first AL West crown during the strike-shortened 1995 season. In 1997, on their way to their second-ever AL West title, the Mariners were 5 ½ games ahead of the competition on July 1 and owned the division lead for 124 days during the season. They met the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS and lost in four games. In their 31 seasons in baseball, the Mariners have made four postseason appearances but have never made it beyond the ALCS.

TWENTY-FOUR SEASONS

MINNESOTA TWINS
(First Year – 1901 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 1924)

Baseball has never been kind to the Nation’s Capital. The Minnesota Twins were the original Washington Senators and were notorious for looking up at the rest of the American League when July started. In their first 23 seasons, the Senators finished second only twice but held a 2 ½ game lead over the Tigers and Yankees when July 1 began in their 24 ^th season in 1924. Washington lost their grip on first place on July 11 and fell to third place at the end of July and remained there for most of August. The Senators were 18-7 in September and topped the Babe Ruth-led Yankees by two games. They continued their magical journey and won the World Series in seven games over the New York Giants on a walk-off double by Ed McNeely in the 12 ^th inning of Game 7 for the only baseball championship in the history of Washington, D.C.

THIRTY-NINE SEASONS

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
(First Year – 1969 / First Season in First Place at Beginning of July – 2007)

It is surprising the Brewers do not have a lot of neck injuries throughout their history with the amount of time they have spent looking up at the rest of whatever league or division they have played in. Although they made two postseason appearances in 1981 and 1982 and their only World Series appearance in 1982 (they lost to the Cardinals), the first appearance came in the strike-affected 1981 season and they did not experience a division lead in 1982 until after July 1 (unless you count the first week of the season). Other than that, the Brewers have always seen a name in front of them in the AL East, AL West or NL Central whenever they woke up and took a look at the standings on July 1. That all changed in 2007 when Milwaukee found themselves on top of their division at the end of June for the first time in 39 seasons. Not only were they in first place, the Brewers led the division by 7 ½ games. The Brewers failed to hold the division lead and the Chicago Cubs won the NL Central by two games over the Brewers who finished second.

WHERE DID THEY FINISH?

What will the future bring the AL East-leading Rays? No way to answer that one but we can look at where the other franchises finished in their first season on top of their league or division when July 1 action began.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (2000) – Finished 3 ^rd in NL West
ATLANTA BRAVES (1877) – Won National League Title
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (1908) – Finished 4 ^th in American League
BOSTON RED SOX (1903) – Won World Series
CHICAGO CUBS (1876) – Won National League Title
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (1901) – Won American League Title
CINCINNATI REDS (1882) – Won American Association Title
CLEVELAND INDIANS (1905) – Finished 5 ^th in American League
COLORADO ROCKIES (1995) – Finished 2 ^nd in NL West (Wild Card) / Lost in NLDS
DETROIT TIGERS (1909) – Lost in World Series
FLORIDA MARLINS (2004) – Finished 3 ^rd in NL East
HOUSTON ASTROS (1979) – Finished 2 ^nd in NL West
KANSAS CITY ROYALS (1976) – Lost in ALCS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (1978) – Finished 2 ^nd in AL West
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (1888) – Finished 2 ^nd in American Association
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (2007) – Finished 2 ^nd in NL Central
MINNESOTA TWINS (1924) – Won World Series
NEW YORK METS (1970) – Finished 3 ^rd in NL East
NEW YORK YANKEES (1906) – Finished 2 ^nd in American League
OAKLAND ATHLETICS (1906) – Finished 4 ^th in American League
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (1893) – Finished 4 ^th in National League
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (1901) – Won National League Title
SAN DIEGO PADRES (1984) – Lost in World Series
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (1891) – Finished 3 ^rd in National League
SEATTLE MARINERS (1997) – Lost in ALDS
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (1885) – Won American Association Title / Tied in Postseason Exhibition)
TEXAS RANGERS (1978) – Finished 2 ^nd in AL West
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (1983) – Finished 4 ^th in AL East
WASHINGTON NATIONALS (1979) – Finished 2 ^nd in NL East