The Captain's Blog

Seattle isn’t the only city with streakers. A whole team of them just ran through Oakland.

Over the past three-plus seasons, the Yankees have had their way with the Athletics. Since 2008, the team has compiled a 24-4 (.857) record against the A’s, which, following the recent sweep at the Collisseum, now includes a current 10-game winning streak.

The last time the Yankees lost to the Athletics, a 4-2 defeat on April 22, 2010, the result was obscured by the on-field confrontation between Dallas Braden and Alex Rodriguez. However, ever since Braden showed New York how it was done “in the 209”, the Athletics haven’t even been in the same area code as the Yankees.

The Yankees’ dominance over the Athletics is not unlike the way the Bash Brother teams of the early 1990s used to manhandle the Bronx Bombers. At one point, Tony LaRussa’s powerhouse A’s reeled off 16 consecutive victories over the hapless Yankees, coming within one victory of the longest winning streak by one team against the franchise.

Yankees’ Longest Winning and Losing Streaks by Franchise

Note: Only includes teams against which the Yankees have played at least 25 games.
Source: Baseball-reference.com

More often than not, the Yankees have been the team with the dominant hand. Since 1919, they have compiled 34 “team winning streaks” of at least 10 games, including most recently in 2010 against the Orioles. Over the same period, however, the Yankees have only been on the losing side of such a streak three times (in addition to the two streaks listed above, the team also lost 10 in a row to the Philadelphia Athletics from 1929-1930).

Although a 10-game winning streak over one team is certainly impressive, it doesn’t come close to comparing to the Yankees’ franchise record of 21 consecutive wins over the St. Louis Browns (current day Baltimore Orioles) in 1927. If not for a St. Louis victory in the teams’ last meeting that year, the Yankees would have gone a perfect 22-0 in the series, an accomplishment never before or since achieved. Nonetheless, the Yankees’ still set a record for most consecutive victories against one team. In addition, the Yankees also tied the record for most wins against one opponent in a single season, matching the mark set by 1909 Chicago Cubs, who beat the Boston Doves (current day Atlanta Braves) in 21 of 22 games.

Longest Winning Streaks Against One Team

Note: Highlanders now the Yankees; Browns now the Orioles; Doves now the Braves.
Source: Baseball-reference.com

In 1969-1970, the Browns, who in 1954 moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles, earned a measure of redemption when they reeled off 23 consecutive victories against the expansion Kansas City Royals. That stretch of domination was eventually snapped on April 30, 1971, when Freddie Patek delivered a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth after the Orioles tied the game in the top half of the inning.

When the Orioles tied the game up in the ninth I felt our chances of winning were about like my chances on a short putt – slim and none.” – Royals’ manager Bob Lemon, quoted by AP, April 30, 1971

Considering the events that had transpired during the Royals’ long stretch of futility against the Orioles, you really can’t blame Lemon for having such little confidence in his team. At the very least, Bob Geren can sympathize.