Everybody knew that the league was in trouble with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top. Last season, the Dodgers dominated their way to a World Series title. During the offseason, they did nothing but get better. The Dodgers will return Shohei Ohtani to the mound at some point this year, which is a piece of their team they were missing last year.
They also added stars like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the starting rotation. Dustin May, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and others are returning from injuries this season, too. Los Angeles also added two closers, Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott, to the back end of their bullpen during the offseason. Pair those additions alongside the loaded bullpen that was already in Los Angeles, and you have a very scary team.
It's no surprise the Dodgers are the top team in the game. And, it's no surprise they're off to a stupendous 7-0 start to begin the year.
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What's the longest winning streak start an MLB season?
With the Dodgers already 7-0 and playing host to Bryce Elder and the 0-6 Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, it's about time to begin looking at the chances the Dodgers break the record for the longest winning streak to start an MLB season. The Dodgers are currently tied with the 1933 New York Yankees for the longest win streak to begin the year from a defending champion. With their seventh win on Tuesday night, the Dodgers set their own franchise record for most consecutive wins to begin the year. So, what's the record for the longest winning streak to begin a season and can the Dodgers break it?
The record for the longest win streak to begin an MLB season is 13, set by the 1982 Braves, 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, and 2023 Tampa Bay Rays.
To get to 14 straight wins to begin the year, the Dodgers will need to beat the Braves tonight, sweep the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia this weekend, and then sweep the Washington Nationals to begin next week. It's only seven more wins and the Dodgers have the firepower to do it.
It was be an injustice to just discuss the Dodgers for this record, though. The San Diego Padres are a staggering 6-0 to begin the year and they have a real chance to break the record, too. The Padres would need to finish a sweep over the Cleveland Guardians tonight before going to Chicago and Sacramento and sweeping the Chicago Cubs and the Athletics. After that, they'd need to take the first game from the Colorado Rockies on April 11 to set the record.