Why The MLB Winning Streak Record is 26 Games, Despite the 1916 New York Giants Having A Tie
With the Cleveland Indians winning their American League record setting 21st consecutive game, there has been renewed attention on the MLB consecutive win record which was set by the New York Giants in 1916.
There has been a massive amount of confusion about the record because there was a game which was tied in the middle of the streak, which would normally make it a 26 game unbeaten streak, which is different from a winning streak. Mike Golic of ESPN went on a rant about how the Giants record wasn’t legit because there was a tie in the middle of the streak. He’s wrong.
Despite everything I read, I couldn’t get a single straight answer on what happened, so I went and dug up the data myself. The answer is pretty straight forward: The Giants won 26 straight games because the tie game didn’t count and wasn’t part of the official record.
Prior to 1961, all major league baseball teams played at 154 game schedule. The record of the 1916 Giants was 86–66, which is 152 games played. If you look at the day-by-day schedule of the team in 1916, you will see they played in 155 games.
Something is doesn’t add up. How do you play 155 games in a 154 game season and only have 152 games on your record?
The answer isn’t really that complicated. Back then, tie games didn’t count. The games were usually, but not always, replayed from the beginning. They would often schedule a doubleheader the next time the teams played if possible.
During the Giant’s 1916 season, they had three games which were tied when the game was called due to darkness or weather. All three of the games came towards the end of the year: August 26, September 2, and September 18.
The Giants winning streak started on September 7. The September 18th game against Pittsburgh, occurred in the middle of the streak. They replayed the game the next day on September 19th as the first game of a doubleheader. (The game on the 18th itself was the second game of a doubleheader).
Prior to the tied game, they had won 12 straight games. After the tie, they won 14 straight games. The tie didn’t count and was removed from the record and the game was replayed. The 13th consecutive win, which was the September 19th game against the Pirates, was a replay of the tied game the day before which was called due to weather (not darkness).
The number do all add up. The 1916 Giants had 154 game schedule, they tied 3 games which were stricken from the record, and replayed one of the tied games. The end result: they played 155 games in a 154 game schedule and wound up with a record of 86–66.
The record stands at 26 games because the second game of the doubleheader on September 18th which ended in a tie never officially happened. It was replayed. The Giants got on the field for 27 games during the streak. They won 26 of them, and the other never officially happened.
As records go, I confess this is a bit messy and confusing, but the tie game was never an official game, hence, the record is 26 games.
