Quote:
Originally Posted by Loeffle
Thats crazy to win a combined 44 games in a row and end up 4 th  |
Found it.
"In the spring of 1916, the Giants lost 13 of their first 15 games at home, then went on the road and set a record by winning 17 in a row in Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Boston. Then they foundered. The trouble spots were the pitching staff and the infield."
… (much trading ensues) …
"The Giants, starting on September 7, won 26 games in a row at the Polo Grounds. But despite these spurts they finished fourth as the Dodgers won the pennant."
(quoted from "The New York Giants", an article by Frank Graham that appeared in SPORT magazine in 1951 and was reprinted in the book "The National League" in 1966.)
I have a more dramatic version of that somewhere, which does a better job of making clear that (A) at that time these were the two longest winning streaks in National League history, and the 26 game is still the longest since 1869 (before organized professional leagues), and (B) even though these are described as an away streak and a home streak, at that time home and away stands sometimes lasted that long, and these are also overall winning streaks.
The Giants finished seven games out, with an 86-66 record (Philadelphia was second and Boston third).