Jaffe: The ‘Giant’ controversy surrounding the Indians’ 22-game winning streak
From SABR member Jay Jaffe at Sports Illustrated on September 15, 2017, with mention of SABR members John Thorn and Hans Van Slooten:
By the time Jay Bruce’s double brought home Jose Ramirez to give the Indians their 22nd consecutive victory, a controversy had erupted over whether their winning streak was actually a major league record. As they approached the mark, first setting an American League record by surpassing the 2002 Oakland A’s 20 in a row and then the 1935 Cubs’ 21 in a row, it appeared to be a simple matter. The 1916 Giants strung together 26 wins in a row, but one game was suspended and eventually made up. However, the Elias Bureau, MLB’s official statistician, has weighed in to emphasize that it still regards that century-old streak as the record.
Back in 1916, ballparks had no lights; the majors’ first night game didn’t happen until May 24, 1935. Games were commonly suspended due to darkness, and in those days, if one ended when the score was tied, the game was replayed, though the stats counted. Such was the case with the nightcap of the Giants’ September 18 doubleheader against the Pirates at the Polo Grounds.
Read the full article here: https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/09/15/cleveland-indians-new-york-giants-winning-streak
- Related link: “McGraw’s Streak: 26 Consecutive Games Without a Loss in 1916,” by Max Blue (Baseball Research Journal, Fall 2014)
Originally published: September 15, 2017. Last Updated: September 15, 2017.