Why the 1916 New York Giants' MLB record 26-game winning streak stands, despite a tie

Jorge L. Ortiz | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Indians get historic 21st consecutive win Sports Pulse: Breaking down just how amazing Cleveland's record-breaking win streak is.

There’s no tying in baseball.

One of the game’s many charms consists of not having to deal with that annoying third number in the standings, as you do with soccer and occasionally the NFL. In baseball you have wins, losses and nothing else. The rare exception occurs when weather keeps a deadlocked game from being completed and it’s never resumed.

That’s what happened to the 1916 New York Giants as they were trying to extend a 12-game winning streak. Their second game of a Sept. 18 doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates was halted by a rainstorm with the score tied 1-1 after eight innings, and by the time the rain stopped, it was too dark to play.

America's team: As Indians stack wins in record streak, a new label emerges

How they are doing it: Seven stats that sum up Indians dominance

21: Indians' streak reaches record level

So the game was made up in its entirety the next day as part of a doubleheader, which the Giants swept on the way to winning 14 more in a row.

Now that one tie – or, more accurately, how it’s regarded in the record books – has become the source of some debate as this year’s Cleveland Indians stake their claim on history. With Wednesday’s 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the Indians set an American League record with 21 consecutive wins, matching the total achieved by the 1935 Chicago Cubs.

Should that be recognized as the major league mark? After all, only those 1916 Giants have won more games in between losses, and their streak of 26 was interrupted by the tie, so it really should be regarded as an unbeaten streak instead of a winning streak, right?

No, say Major League Baseball and its official statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau, which deem the Giants’ 26 as the record because, as was the custom at the time, the game was not resumed but played anew. Even though player statistics counted, the tie was not reflected in the standings. The Giants finished with an 86-66 record that season, not 85-66-1.

As Steve Hirdt, executive VP of the Elias Sports Bureau, told MLB.com:

“A tie game was never an acceptable result of a baseball game. Tie games were always created artificially, usually because of rain or darkness, and were customarily replayed at the earliest possible date. That was the case in 1916, when it was made up the next day.

“So this is a totally made up, so-called controversy. I'm not even going to say it's a controversy. This is settled.’’

Certainly in his mind, but perhaps not for the fans who will show up at Progressive Field hoping to see the Indians continue their magical run tonight against the Kansas City Royals.

The Indians drew a walk-up crowd of close to 10,000 Wednesday afternoon and are sure to get a healthy turnout again tonight. Their spot in the playoffs and a second consecutive AL Central crown are secure, with a magic number of four and a 13 ½-game lead over the second-place Minnesota Twins.

The fans won’t be showing up to see a clinching celebration, which is still at least a day away. They want to witness history, to see their Indians leave the Cubs behind– if only they could have done that last fall – and stand alone at 22 wins in a row.

Whether that represents the major league record or merely the American League mark may be in the eye of the beholder. At least they won’t be stuck in a tie.

Gallery: Indians win streak reaches 21