Does a 24-6 start portend a championship? Sometimes

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The Chicago Cubs are as hot as can be and stand atop baseball with a 24-6 record through their first 30 games. Winning 24 of 30 to start a season is a relatively unusual accomplishment, one that hadn’t been done in 32 years.

Have teams that been that good at the start of a season fared well at the finish? Here’s a review that goes through the past 80 years.

1984 Tigers: started 26-4, won World SeriesMost Wins Through First 30 Games

Last 80 Years

1984 Tigers*261955 Dodgers*252016 Cubs241981 Athletics241977 Dodgers241958 Yankees*241946 Red Sox241939 Yankees*24>> Won World Series

The Detroit Tigers came roaring out of the gate starting 26-4 and then 35-5, with the high point being Jack Morris’ no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers went wire-to-wire, finished with 104-58, swept the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series and beat the San Diego Padres in five games to win the World Series.

1981 Athletics: started 24-6, lost in ALCS

Billy Martin brought “BillyBall” to the Oakland Athletics, who benefited for the short term. They started 24-6 in what turned into the “first half” of the strike-shortened season (which the Athletics won). The Athletics were led by young star Rickey Henderson, who hit .319 with 56 stolen bases (he’d steal 130 the next year). The Athletics won an American League Division Series matchup with the …

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