The Los Angeles Angels finally ended their 14-game losing streak.
If Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Co. can rebound from that and make the playoffs, it would be unprecedented.
No team has reached the postseason after a losing streak of more than 11 games, according to Sportradar. The Angels played well enough before their skid that they’re still in the thick of the playoff race now. Los Angeles fired manager Joe Maddon last week, but with Trout and Ohtani in the fold, a 3 1/2-game deficit in the wild-card race is certainly surmountable.
Three teams lost 11 games in a row and made the postseason anyway. It happened first during one of the most famous pennant races in baseball history. The New York Giants lost 11 straight in April of 1951, but they eventually ran down the Brooklyn Dodgers and advanced to the World Series on Bobby Thomson’s famous home run.
In 1982, the Atlanta Braves started the season with 13 straight wins. That helped them withstand an 11-game skid in August and win the NL West anyway. In 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers won 104 games. They might have challenged the all-time record for victories if not for an 11-game losing streak that September.
The longest losing streak by an eventual World Series champion was nine games by the 1953 New York Yankees.
The Angels certainly hope the worst is behind them. Ohtani pitched seven innings and hit a two-run homer Thursday night, when they snapped their skid with a win over Boston. Trout hit two homers Saturday night in a victory over the New York Mets.
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