The Rays Have Reached Another Impressive Mark
The Tampa Bay Rays have been an impressive success story this season.
After winning just 86 games last season and barely sneaking into the postseason as the third Wild Card team in the American League, they were eliminated by the Cleveland Guardians in the first round.
But this season has been a different story for the Rays.
This time around, they own the best record in all of baseball and have staked out a four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.
On Wednesday, they defeated the Chicago Cubs by a final of 4-3 and won their 40th game of the season.
The Rays are the first team in baseball to have reached that mark this year.
On Twitter, MLB posted a cool graphic featuring several Rays stars to congratulate the team on their important accomplishment.
The 40-win club.
Population: @Raysbaseball pic.twitter.com/rDJyhcn31A
— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2023
Tampa Bay was relatively quiet this past offseason, with their only major addition being the signing of starter Zach Eflin.
However, that didn’t stop the Rays from getting off to an incredibly hot start.
Led by stars such as Shane McClanahan, Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, and Harold Ramirez, the Rays won each of their first 13 games this season.
Two months later, the Rays are still at the top of the heap.
They also have reached 40 wins before reaching 20 losses this season.
The 40-18 Rays managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Cubs on Wednesday and have now won six of their previous 10 games.
They even own a .690 winning percentage.