Many have speculated that this edition of the Dodgers could finish up with more wins than any team ever. One hundred and sixteen wins has been done twice. Really how far do they have to go after winning a hundred and eleven just three years ago.
In the last one hundred years only ten teams have started the season with at least twenty-four wins in their first thirty games. Every one of them made the post season.
Six Won Series
Six of those ten teams went on to win the world series, Two of them lost after making it to the fall classic, there was one championship series loser and one lost in the wild card series.
The most recent gold standard was the 1984 Detroit Tigers. They enjoyed the best thirty game start ever, losing just four times. In fact, their forty game beginning to the season was an astounding 35-5. They went wire to wire to the title.
Brooklyn’s Only Championship
Next best start after the ’84 Tigers was the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. They had lost to the Yankees in the world series in both 1952 and ’53. They would not be denied in ’55, winning Brooklyn’s only world series. They started 25-5 en route to a ninety-eight win season.
Catcher Roy Campanella led the way winning the MVP with teammate and fellow Hall of famer Duke Snider finishing second.
Yankees Three Times
The other eight teams all started 24-6 including the Yankees three times and each of those ended in a world series championship. 1928, 1939 and 1958.
Yankee history can be traced through the star outfielders on each of those great teams. Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio and Mickey Mantle.
The Cubs Finally
Of the others, the Cubs are most notable and the only other to win it all. They came out smoking in 2016 and finally ended the curse that had gone on for more than a century (1908). Kris Bryant won the MVP and Jon Lester placed second for the Cy Young award.
The other four to start 24-6: The 2023 Tampa Bay Rays are the most recent. They finished up with ninety-nine wins and lost to the eventual champ Texas Rangers in the wild card round.
The 1977 L.A. Dodgers and 1946 Boston Red Sox made it all the way to the world series but lost. The Dodgers to the Yankees and the Red Sox in seven to the St Louis Cardinals.
The Last was the 1981 Oakland A’s who bowed out in the American League Championship Series.
April wins are much easier than those in September. The Dodgers are looking to make the road to a repeat that much easier.
