The Longest Winning Streaks in MLB History
A winning streak is the closest baseball ever gets to unbeatable — and looking at the longest ones is the clearest way to see why 162-0 sits so far out of reach.
The record: 26 straight (1916 Giants)
The 1916 New York Giants won 26 consecutive games, the longest streak in modern MLB history. There’s an asterisk baseball fans always mention: the run included a tie, so it wasn’t 26 straight decisions. But as a stretch of not losing, it stands alone more than a century later.
The longest clean streak: 22 straight (2017 Indians)
The 2017 Cleveland Indians hold the record for the longest streak with no ties mixed in — 22 consecutive wins down the stretch of that season. It’s the modern benchmark for pure, unbroken dominance, and it captured national attention as it climbed night after night.
Other historic runs
- 1935 Chicago Cubs — 21 straight, a late-season surge that carried them to a pennant.
- 2002 Oakland Athletics — 20 straight, the streak at the center of the “Moneyball” season.
- 1906 Chicago White Sox and various early clubs posted long runs in the dead-ball era, when low scoring made shutdown pitching especially streaky.
Why even the greatest streak is a fraction of a season
Here’s the perspective that matters for 162-0: the greatest winning streak in the history of the sport, 26 games, is about 16% of a 162-game season. To finish 162-0, a team would have to sustain a streak more than six times longer than the best one ever recorded — from the first pitch of opening day to the last out in September, without a single slip.
That’s the wall. A hot team can win 20 in a row once in a generation. Winning 162 in a row would require doing that eight times back to back, with no off night in between. It has never happened, and the streak record is the plainest evidence of why. For the full probability breakdown, see why 162-0 is effectively impossible; for the record books, see the best single-season records in MLB history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the longest winning streak in MLB history?+
The 1916 New York Giants won 26 consecutive games, the longest in modern MLB history — though the streak famously included a tie. The 2017 Cleveland Indians hold the record for the longest streak with no ties, at 22 straight wins.
How does a long streak compare to a full season?+
Even 26 straight is only about 16% of a 162-game season. To go 162-0, a team would have to string together a streak more than six times longer than the greatest one ever, from opening day to the finale.
Why are winning streaks so rare beyond 20 games?+
Because pitching depth and daily play catch up with every team. Winning 20 in a row requires your fourth and fifth starters to keep winning too, with no off night — which is exactly why streaks that long happen only once every few decades.