Baseball has been around for a long, long time. But only 31 teams have ever started a season 11-1 or 12-0 in their first 12 games. The Braves became the 31st this afternoon with a 9-0 win over the defending NL East champion Washington Nationals, wrapping up a series sweep. They have now won nine consecutive games.
Only four other teams have accomplished the feat since 2000: the 2002 Cleveland Indians, the 2003 Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants, and the 2009 Florida Marlins. Coincidentally, of those four teams, only the Giants reached the post-season. In fact, the other three won 87 games or fewer. A hot start is no guarantee of long-term success.
Ten of the 31 teams accomplished the feat in the 19th century and an additional three occurred prior to the end of the Dead Ball Era. Since 1988, only six teams joined the club. So, we’re talking about a feat that happens in the contemporary era about once every four years.
The list:
| Team | Year | W-L | Tot W-L | Rnk | Postseason |
| BOS | 1872 | 11-1 | 39-8 | 1 | NA Pennant |
| BOS | 1874 | 12-0 | 52-18 | 1 | NA Pennant |
| HAR | 1875 | 12-0 | 54-28 | 3 | |
| BOS | 1875 | 12-0 | 71-8 | 1 | NA Pennant |
| CHC | 1879 | 11-1 | 46-33 | 4 | |
| CHC | 1880 | 11-1 | 67-17 | 1 | NL Pennant |
| PHA | 1883 | 11-1 | 66-32 | 1 | AA Pennant |
| SLM | 1884 | 12-0 | 94-19 | 1 | UA Pennant |
| NYG | 1884 | 12-0 | 62-50 | 4 | |
| DTN | 1887 | 11-1 | 79-45 | 1 | WS Champ |
| DET | 1911 | 11-1 | 89-65 | 2 | |
| PHI | 1915 | 11-1 | 90-62 | 1 | NL Pennant |
| NYG | 1918 | 11-1 | 71-53 | 2 | |
| NYG | 1938 | 11-1 | 83-67 | 3 | |
| BRO | 1940 | 11-1 | 88-65 | 2 | |
| BRO | 1955 | 11-1 | 98-55 | 1 | WS Champ |
| PIT | 1962 | 11-1 | 93-68 | 4 | |
| CLE | 1966 | 11-1 | 81-81 | 5 | |
| BAL | 1966 | 11-1 | 97-63 | 1 | WS Champ |
| CHC | 1969 | 11-1 | 92-70 | 2 | |
| CIN | 1980 | 11-1 | 89-73 | 3 | |
| OAK | 1981 | 11-1 | 64-45 | 1 | Division Champ |
| ATL | 1982 | 12-0 | 89-73 | 1 | Division Champ |
| DET | 1984 | 11-1 | 104-58 | 1 | WS Champ |
| MIL | 1987 | 12-0 | 91-71 | 3 | |
| ATL | 1994 | 11-1 | 68-46 | 2 | |
| CLE | 2002 | 11-1 | 74-88 | 3 | |
| SFG | 2003 | 11-1 | 100-61 | 1 | Division Champ |
| KCR | 2003 | 11-1 | 83-79 | 3 | |
| FLA | 2009 | 11-1 | 87-75 | 2 | |
| ATL | 2013 | 11-1 | ? | ? | ? |