After a weather-induced postponement on Friday, the Guardians and Yankees played a doubleheader on Saturday in Cleveland. The Yankees took Game 1, 3-2, and then blew the doors off the Guardians in an 8-2 win in the nightcap. Juan Soto's three-run blast was the big blow in the second game and he's now hitting .339/.465/.554 in his first season as a Yankee.
As for the team, the Yankees have never had a better start than their current 12-3 record. Through 15 games, here are the best-ever Yankees starts along with how those seasons turned out:
Year | Record through 15 games | Final record | Finish |
1926 | 12-3 | 91-63 | AL pennant |
1943 | 12-3 | 98-56 | World Series champions |
1949 | 12-3 | 97-57 | World Series champions |
1987 | 12-3 | 89-73 | 4th place |
1988 | 12-3 | 85-76 | 5th place |
2003 | 12-3 | 101-61 | AL pennant |
2024 | 12-3 | TBD | TBD |
The Yankees have also started 11-4 on 10 different occasions and won the World Series in five of those seasons, meaning this is the 17th time they've been at least 11-4 through 15 games and seven of the previous 16 were championship teams.
If we look at all 30 teams and their respective histories, this Yankees team is the 84th to start the season at least 12-3. The most recent, of course, was last season's Rays, who were 13-2 through 15 games. The best start ever through 15 games was 14-1, which was done five times, most recently by the 1987 Brewers. The most recent World Series champion to get off to a similar start was the 2018 Red Sox, who were 13-2.
The Yankees have one more game against the Guardians in this series and then they will head to Toronto for a three-game set against the Blue Jays.
