Longest winning streaks in Major League Baseball history

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As the 2017 Cleveland Indians continue to add to their historic winning streak, the team is climbing past some of Major League Baseball’s most legendary franchises.

Already this week, the Tribe has moved ahead of the 1953 New York Yankees and the New York Giants of 1904, who each reached 18 consecutive victories. Then passed the World Series champion 1947 New York Yankees and 1906 champion Chicago White Sox at 19. Tuesday, they tied the American League record held by the “Moneyball” Oakland A’s of 2002.

Wednesday, they took the AL record with a 5-3 victory over Detroit.

There is fierce debate at the top of the list based on MLB including the 1916 New York Giants, whose 26-game streak was interrupted by a tie. But there is no debate that what Cleveland is in the middle of doing is special.

Here is a look back at baseball’s longest unbeaten streaks, and how the teams finished their seasons.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

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Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson was in the final season of his career as the New York Giants dominated the National League in 1916.

New York Giants, 1916 -- 26 games (1 tie)

Streak: Sept. 7-30.

Final record: 86-66.

Finish: 4th place, National League.

Notable: The Giants set the major league record for consecutive games without a loss, winning 12 games before tying Pittsburgh, 1-1, on Sept. 8. They went on to win 14 more before losing the second game of a doubleheader to the Boston Braves on Sept. 30. Their undefeated streak included seven doubleheader sweeps. All 26 games in the streak took place at home in the legendary Polo Grounds ballpark.

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Cleveland Indians, 2017 -- 22 games

Streak: Aug. 24-TBD.

Final record: TBD.

Finish: TBD.

Notable: The Indians are riding an unprecedented streak of hot starting pitching and early offense. Tribe starters are 20-0 during the streak. Cleveland has outscored opponents by a margin of 142-37 (+105) over this 22-game stretch, including a +54 differential (68-14) in innings 1-3.

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Chicago Cubs, 1935 -- 21 games

Streak: Sept. 4-28.

Final record: 100-54

Finish: 1st place, National League (lost World Series to Detroit, 4-2)

Notable: When Chicago's streak started, the Cubs were 2.5 games out of first place. By the time it ended, they were ahead by 5 games and would reach the Fall Classic. Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett led the team with a .344 batting average and 91 runs batted in, while pitchers Lon Warneke and Bill Lee each won 20 games.

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Oakland Athletics, 2002 -- 20 games

Streak: Aug. 13-Sept. 4.

Final record: 103-59.

Finish: 1st, American League West (lost AL Division Series to Minnesota, 3-2).

Notable: The "Moneyball" A's set the American League record for consecutive wins during a season that saw them slump early before kicking things into gear down the stretch. Ex-Indians David Justice and Ricardo Rincon played a part in Oakland's success, along with relief pitcher Billy Koch and starter Ted Lilly. Shortstop Miguel Tejada won the American League MVP award and Barry Zito claimed the AL Cy Young, but the A's blew a 2-1 lead in the Division Series, as Minnesota rallied to reach the ALCS.

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Chicago White Sox, 1906 -- 19 games

Streak: Aug. 2-23.

Final record: 93-58.

Finish: 1st in American League (Won World Series vs. Cubs, 4-2)

Notable: Led by Hall of Famers Ed Walsh and George Davis, the White Sox used a scorching month of August to move from 7.5 games back in the standings to 5.5 ahead. Davis drove in 80 runs and stole 27 bases, while Walsh pitched his way to 17 wins, including a league-high 10 shutouts. Known as the "Hitless Wonders" the Sox prevailed despite checking in with a league-low team batting average (.230). They faced the 116-win Cubs in a crosstown World Series, and scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Fall Classic, winning in six games.

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New York Yankees, 1947 -- 19 games

Streak: June 29-July 17.

Final record: 97-57.

Finish: 1st in American League (Won World Series vs. Dodgers, 4-3).

Notable: Joe DiMaggio led the Bronx Bombers with 20 home runs and 97 RBI for the season while Allie Reynolds pitched his way to 19 wins and 129 strikeouts. DiMaggio batted .375 with an on base plus slugging percentage of 1.097 during the streak, which saw the team add 8 games to its lead in the standings over Detroit. The Yankees would reach the World Series against Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers and claim their 11th title.

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New York Giants, 1904 -- 18 games

Streak: June 16-July 4.

Final record: 106-47.

Finish: 1st in National League.

Notable: Behind Hall of Fame pitchers Joe McGinnity (35 wins) and Christy Mathewson (33), the Giants sailed through the months of June and July, putting more than 10 games between themselves and the second-place Cubs in the standings. However, no World Series was contested that year due to a dispute between the American and National leagues.

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New York Yankees, 1953 -- 18 games

Streak: May 27-June 14.

Final record: 99-52.

Finish: 1st in America League (Won World Series vs. Dodgers, 4-2)

Notable: Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Whitey Ford were among the Hall of Famers that led the Bronx Bombers to 18 straight wins before clinching the title against Brooklyn. The Yankees won their 20th pennant and finished 8.5 games better than the Indians in the American League.