Tampa Bay Rays fans on top of the world as team remains undefeated at home with sweep of Chicago White Sox: "Took the Sox to the cleaners"
The Tampa Bay Rays kept the team's wave of motivation moving fully forward Sunday, defeating the Chicago White Sox 4-1 for the team's 13th-straight win at home.
Tampa Bay is yet to lose at Tropicana Field this season, as the sweep of the White Sox was the Rays' fourth of a visiting team in 2023.
Adding to the victory was Luke Raley's two-run bomb in the second inning that gave Tampa Bay at least one home run in each of its 22 games this season. Harold Ramirez also hit a round-tripper for the hosts. The Rays are out-homering their competition 48-12 so far, as April begins to near a close.
Productive day: we swept, washed some sox, etc. https://t.co/2YczfkqxbV
The Tampa Bay Rays are in some rarefied air with the team's sizzling start. Tampa Bay, now 19-3, tied the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-longest home win streak to start a season. Now in sight for the Rays is the all-time mark of 15 straight home wins to start a season, set by the 1907 New York Giants.
@RaysBaseball A successful return to the bump… Barreled some… Nuked one… Flashed some quality leather… Bullpen on point… SWEEP! #RaysUp https://t.co/Gsbn79OFQ9
@RaysBaseball Yessir. Love to see it. #RaysUp
@RaysBaseball GG’s Tampa Fans, you guys have incredible pitching year in and out, and if you’re offense stays hot can only imagine how far you guys go this year! Definitely could be a force in the AL!
The Tampa Bay Rays are now 7-0 this season against MLB's "Sox" teams. Tampa Bay claimed a four-game sweep against the visiting Boston Red Sox earlier this month. The Rays became the eighth team since 1901 to begin the season by winning 19 of their first 22 games, and the first since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.
@RaysBaseball Took those boys to the Cleaners! #RaysUp
@RaysBaseball Second time we’ve swept and washed Sox this year
@RaysBaseball White sox tend to get dirty easily
Tampa Bay's home run streak, combined with timely non-homer hitting and superb pitching, has the team at an MLB-best .864 winning percentage. No team in MLB history has hit at least one homer in each of their first 22 games. The Rays' tally of 48 home runs in that time frame is second only to the 52 round-trippers hit during the first 22 games of the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals' season.
@RaysBaseball more nukes than North Korea if we’re being honest https://t.co/wli8zGReWw
@RaysBaseball Love these multi run hrs this year
The only teams to start a season better after 22 games were the 1911 Detroit Tigers and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, who both began their seasons at 20-2.
@RaysBaseball Only need to go 71-69 for the remainder of the season to get 90 wins.
@RaysBaseball At the rate this team is playing - they're gonna clinch a playoff spot by the All-Star Break!
Tampa Bay Rays host Houston Astros this week
Tampa Bay faces the biggest challenge to its home winning streak beginning Monday as the defending World Series champion Houston Astros pay Tropicana Field a visit for a three-game series.
The Astros enter the series on a roll, having swept the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. Houston has won four in a row and five of its past six entering the premier matchup of the week.