Hottest Teams in History

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Apr 18, 2008

Hottest Teams in History

1916 New York Giants

The Giants were an unremarkable 59-62 on Sept. 6 before winning an all-time record 26 straight games. It was all for naught, however, as they finished seven games behind pennant-winning Brooklyn.

1935 Chicago Cubs

Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett 's Cubs won 21 in a row from Sept. 4 through Sept. 27 to go from 2 1/2 games back in the pennant race to a six-game lead with two games left. The Cubs being the Cubs, of course, they lost the World Series to the Tigers in six games.

1953-57 Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners won 47 consecutive games from Oct. 10, 1953, to Nov. 16, 1957, the longest such streak in Division I-A history.

1970 Baltimore Orioles

With sluggers Frank Robinson, left, and Boog Powell, right, and a trio of 20-game winners in Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally and Jim Palmer, this powerhouse ballclub won 108 regular-season games and the World Series. On their way, they won their last 11 regular-season games and their first six postseason games before dropping Game 4 of the Series to the Reds. They would bounce back to wrap up the Series in five games.

1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers won an NBA-record 33 consecutive games from Nov. 5, 1971, to Jan. 9, 1972.

1972-73 Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins won all 17 games during their season in 1972 and the opener of the 1973 season.

1971-74 UCLA Bruins

John Wooden coached UCLA to an 88-game winning streak stretching from Jan. 30, 1971, to Jan. 14, 1974.

1977 Kansas City Royals

The George Brett-led Royals won 24 of 25 games from Aug. 31 to Sept. 25 on their way to a 102-60 record and the AL West division crown. They would lose the ALCS in five games to the <i>Bronx is Burning</i> Yankees. Current Rockies manager Clint Hurdle made his big-league debut in Game No. 19 of that streak, hitting a home run in his second at-bat.

1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers went 35 games without a loss during the 1979-80 season, posting a record of 25-0-10.

2002 Oakland A's

The Moneyball A's set the American League record with a 20-game winning streak from Aug. 13 through Sept. 4 that catapulted them from 4.5 games back in the AL West to a 3.5-game lead. Miguel Tejada batted .366 with three home runs during the streak to lock up the MVP award.

2001-03 UConn Huskies

Connecticut's 70 consecutive wins between 2001 and 2003 was the longest streak in women's Division I history.

2003-04 New England Patriots

The Patriots won an NFL-record 21 consecutive games from 2003 to 2004. The streak included a 32-29 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

2007 Colorado Rockies

On the morning of Sept. 16, the Rockies were a mere four games above .500 and nearly out of the playoff picture. Starting with a 13-0 rout of Florida that day, Colorado went on to win 14 of its last 15 regular-season games, sweep the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs and sweep the D'backs in the NLCS. All told, the Rockies won 21 of 22 games on their way toward winning their first National League pennant.