Conversely, the Rays and the Diamondbacks (the two most recent additions to MLB) both started 3-0; so did the Dodgers, Mets, Tigers and Orioles.
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| This is not the type of season-opening streak we're talking about here. (Of course, this is also not a picture taken at a baseball game...) |
Of the 90 teams from 1982-2011 (not including 1994 and 1995) that began the year 3-0, 27 were division champs. Five more made the playoffs as wild card teams. That's a 35.6% success rate.
The overall record of these 90 teams: 7633-6935 (.524).
Of the 88 teams from 1982-2011 (again, no '94 or '95) that started 0-3, only nine were division winners. Two more were wildcard teams. That's a 12.5% success rate.
The overall record of these 88 teams: 6782-7463 (.476).
So over the past thirty years, teams that go 3-0 to start the year are just under three times likelier to make the postseason than teams that go 0-3.
In 2011, four teams started 3-0. Two of them--the Rangers and the Phillies--made the post-season. The other two (Orioles and Reds) won 69 and 79 games respectively.
Four teams began 0-3 in 2011. Two of these--the Rays and the Brewers--went on to the post-season. The Red Sox, who also started 0-3, somewhat famously allowed the Rays to sneak into the playoffs. The other team dropping its first three--the Astros--finished 56-106.
Two-thirds of the teams that started 3-0 finished at .500 or higher at the end of the season. Just under 40% of the teams that started 0-3 finished at .500 or higher.
Four teams (the '85 Cardinals, '98 Yankees, the '99 D-backs, and the '03 Braves) won 100+ games despite starting the season 0-3. Two teams (the '02 Devil Rays and the '08 Nationals) lost 100+ games despite starting the year 3-0.
