It’s safe to say that the Tampa Bay Rays have been off to a historic start to this season. They started off the season 13 and 0 winning each of those games by four or more runs. They tied the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers before falling to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the crew from the I-4 is poised to set another record that fans should follow. This a stat unlikely for a team like the Tampa Bay Rays to lead in, home runs.
The Home Run Record the Tampa Bay Rays are chasing
When fans think of the Tampa Bay Rays, their ability to hit home runs is not the first to come to mind. In the last few seasons, the Rays were 25th, 6th, 14th (the year they won the pennant), and 21st in home runs. They don’t play in a stadium known for home runs like Toronto or the Yankees, but that hasn’t stopped them from hitting home runs in 2023. The record for consecutive games where a team has hit a home run is 20 games, set by the 2019 Seattle Mariners. The Tampa Bay Rays extended their streak to 19 games Wednesday following a lead-off home run from Yandy Diaz against the Reds. The Rays won that game 8-0 to improve to 16-3 to start the season. With an off-day Thursday, the Rays could break this record Saturday at home against the Chicago White Sox.
The Team that Swats
The Tampa Bay Rays are leading Major League Baseball with 42 home runs. That’s more than the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers and 34 more than the last-place Washington Nationals. What’s remarkable about this run is that it’s not a handful of players with a bunch of home runs. It has become a team effort as ten members have at least three home runs. First Baseman Yandy Diaz leads the team with six, and Second Baseman Brandon Lowe is in second.
2019 Mariners
During Seattle’s first 19 games, the Mariners hit 40 home runs, whereas this year’s Rays have hit 42. Like these Rays, the 2019 Mariners saw their offense spread out throughout the lineup, as ten players hit at least ten home runs that season. However, the Rays hope to finish the season in the playoffs unlike the 2019 Mariners. Tampa is poised to play in October, and this record would be a great footnote to this unprecedented start.
Main photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA Today Sports
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