Last night, the Birds’ 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays marked the 100th consecutive game they’ve won when leading after seven innings.
Now, I’ve seen some folks arguing about the wording of this stat in various places, so I’ll try to help clarify it.
What it doesn’t mean:
– That the O’s were tied in the eighth or ninth inning, then took the lead and won.
– That the O’s were tied in the eighth or ninth inning, took the lead, and then lost it (this has happened a few times during the streak).
– That the O’s were trailing entering the eighth, then took the lead and won.
What it does mean:
– That if you look at the score at the end of the seventh inning, that the O’s were winning. They then won.
That’s it – look at the score at the end of the seventh inning and again when the game is over. Those are the only two numbers that matter in this stat.
Yes, it’s a slightly arbitrary way of doing things, but it’s a cool statistic nonetheless.
And it’s still damned impressive, as evidenced by the fact that only two teams since 1920 have ever had longer streaks.
h/t MASN
Of course – and unfortunately – this only applies to regular season games.
The O’s led Game 3 of last year’s ALDS in New York 2-1 after seven innings, only to lose 3-2 in extras.
Anyway, this points to the incredible performance of the O’s bullpen, as Zach Wilt over at Baltimore Sports Report explains:
Closer Jim Johnson hasn’t allowed an earned run in 11 innings pitched this season. Neither has Brian Matusz in his 7 2/3 innings. Darren O’Day has a 0.90 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in ten appearances while Troy Patton has a 1.35 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 6 2/3 innings of work.
“Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated.” – The Oriole Bullpen
