What is the longest winning streak in MLB history? Momentum matters in baseball and when a club is riding a wave of confidence, it can seem unstoppable. One win turns into two and then four and the next thing you know fans are wondering if their team is approaching one of the longest MLB winning streaks ever.
The Oakland Athletics and film Moneyball are partially responsible for the added focus on winning streaks. Oakland entered Aug. 13, 2002, with a 68-51 record, placing them third in the AL West and sixth in the American League. The Athletics then went on a 20-game winning streak, ending on Sep. 6 with an 88-51 record, tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL standings.
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While that's the most well-known of the longest MLB winning streaks ever, it's not the record. For that, we're diving into the archives with a look at the longest winning streaks in the modern era of MLB history.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the longest winning streak in baseball this year at 8 consecutive games.
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Los Angeles Dodgers– 8 – March 18-April 2
New York Mets –7 – April 17-23
New York Mets –6 – April 2-8
Kansas City Royals –6 – April 20-26
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The 1916 New York Giants hold the longest winning streak in baseball history. Further below, you can find the longest winning streaks in MLB history and what makes the Giants' win streak unique.
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New York Giants (1916) –26 games
Cleveland Guardians (2017) – 22 games
Chicago Cubs (1935) –21 games
Oakland Athletics (2002) –20 games
New York Yankees (1947) –19 games
Chicago White Sox (1906) –19 games
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Four MLB teams have won 20 consecutive games during a single season. The 2017 Cleveland Guardians (22) games last accomplished it and the 2002 Oakland Athletics won 20 consecutive games in 2002.
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1916 New York Giants – 26 wins
2017 Cleveland Guardians – 22 wins
1935 Chicago Cubs – 21 wins
2002 Oakland Athletics – 20 wins
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The Minnesota Twins had the longest winning streak in MLB in 2024 with a 12-game winning streak.
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The Tampa Bay Rays had the longest winning streak in MLB in 2023, winning 13 consecutive games to start the season.
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Tampa Bay Rays –13 games – (March 30-April 13)
Cincinnati Reds –12 games – (June 10 – 22)
Los Angeles Dodgers –11 games – (Aug. 6 – Aug. 17)
San Francisco Giants –10 games – (June 11-21)
Atlanta Braves –9 games (June 24 – July 3)
Milwaukee Brewers –9 games – (Aug. 18-28)
Seattle Mariners –8 games – Aug. 2-11
Texas Rangers –8 games – (Aug. 1-8)
Atlanta Braves –8 games – (June 14 – 23)
Atlanta Braves –8 games – (April 10-18)
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The 1916 New York Giants have the longest winning streak in MLB history, winning 26 consecutive games. After winning 17 consecutive games earlier in the season ( May 9 – May 29 ), the Giants never lost a game from Sep. 7 through Sep. 30. However, it's worth noting that New York didn't actually win every game. Just 12 games into their official winnings streak, the Giants tied the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-1 on Sep. 18, 1916 and then they won their next 14 consecutive games.
The longest consecutive MLB winning streak without a tie belongs to the 2017 Cleveland Guardians, who won 22 consecutive games from Aug. 24 through Sep. 14, with the win streak ending on Friday, Sep. 15 in a 4-3 defeat to the Kansas City Royals.
Four teams in MLB history have won 20 games in a row, although the 1916 Giants did have one tie in-between double-digit win streaks. One fascinating thing about the teams with the longest winning streaks in MLB history is that none of them won the World Series.
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While the New York Giants recorded three double-digit winning streaks during the 1916 season, things didn't end how they hoped. New York finished fourth (86-66) in the National League at the end of the 1916 season, not even making it as runners-up in the NL field.
The Cleveland Guardians won 22 consecutive games in 2017, finishing second in the MLB standings with a 102-60 record. However, everything fell apart for Cleveland in October. The Guardians lost in the ALDS to the New York Yankees, dropping the series in five games.
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The Chicago Cubs are the only team in MLB history to win 20 consecutive games and reach the World Series. The '35 Cubs, led by Billy Herman and Gabby Hartnett, were the only team in MLB to win 100 games. However, they lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 1935 World Series with the defeat coming in six games.
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As captured in Moneyball , albeit without showcasing stars Barry Zito , Tim Hudson , Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez and Mark Mulder – the 2002 Oakland Athletics won 20 consecutive games during the regular season. While the Athletics won the AL West with a 103-59 record, they were immediately knocked out of the playoffs losing the ALDS in five games to the Minnesota Twins.
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Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The 2023 Tampa Bay Rays tied the record for the longest MLB winning streak to open a season. Led by Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena , the Rays entered April 14 with 13 consecutive wins, tying the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the longest winning streak to open an MLB season. However, the streak ended on April 14 when the Rays lost 6-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays . As a result, the record will be a three-way tie at 13 games and we might not see it matched for a long time.
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Here are the longest MLB winning streaks to start a season in the history of baseball.
Tampa Bay Rays (2023 ) –13 games
Atlanta Braves (1982) –13 games
Milwaukee Brewers (1987) –13 games
Oakland Athletics (1981) –11 games
Brooklyn Dodgers (1955) –10 games
Pittsburgh Pirates (1962) –10 games
Cleveland Indians (1966) –10 games
The history of the longest winning streaks to open an MLB season is particularly facing. Of the clubs that won at least 10 consecutive games from Opening Day and beyond, three didn't even make the playoffs. The '66 Indiana finished with an 81-81 record, while the '87 Brewers (91-71) and '62 Pirates (93-68) also missed the playoffs. Only one team ('55 Dodgers) won the World Series after winning double-digit games to open the season.
The longest consecutive win streak in MLB history belongs to the 2017 Cleveland Guardians, who won 22 consecutive games. While the 1916 New York Giants won 27 games in a row, there was a tie during that streak that was later replayed in a doubleheader.
