The Tampa Bay Rays are off to an insane start.
On Easter Sunday, Tampa collected its ninth win of the season and improved to a perfect 9-0 on the year. The Rays have been unchallenged so far by their competition. That’s shown in their record and their historically-great run differential.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “the Tampa Bay Rays are the first team since 1884 with a run differential of more than 50 over their first nine games of the season, according to @ESPNStatsInfo. In 1884, the mound was 50 feet from home and it was the first year pitchers were allowed to throw the ball overhand.”
The Tampa Bay Rays are the first team since 1884 with a run differential of more than 50 over their first nine games of the season, according to @ESPNStatsInfo.
In 1884, the mound was 50 feet from home and it was the first year pitchers were allowed to throw the ball overhand.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 9, 2023
Tampa has scored 75 runs and allowed only 18 thus far. Those numbers work for a run differential of a whopping +57. The next team closest to them is the Milwaukee Brewers, who have “only” recorded one of +20.
The MLB world reacted to the insane news.
Sarah Langs pointed out the Rays’ differential is also the highest any team has recorded through its first nine games since 1900!
THE RAYS’ +57 RUN DIFF IS THE HIGHEST IN A TEAM’S 1ST 9 GAMES SINCE 1900
OVERALL LIST:
highest run diff in 1st 9 games of season, MLB history:
1884 St. Louis Maroons: +78
1884 New York Gothams: +63
2023 Rays: +57
1882 Providence Grays: +54
1876 Hartfords of Brooklyn: +51— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 9, 2023
“Is that good? That seems good,” the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate for the Rays, tweeted.
Is that good? That seems good
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) April 9, 2023
One fan boasted about those Hartfords of Brooklyn.
https://twitter.com/bbkeem2ndphone/status/1645154626495283205
Another fan wasn’t concerned about the Rays’ strength of schedule. Tampa has played Oakland, Washington, and Detroit to start the season, three of lowlier teams in MLB.
I don't care that they had an easy schedule to start the season. This is impressive, and the Rays are going to be a problem. https://t.co/SjrTY67QJz
— Jenn Smith (@Baseball_Jenn) April 9, 2023
