The Orioles began their season with a less than 12 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.com's projections. After a surprising 7-0 start (the run ended Wednesday night in Boston), expectations are much higher for a team that finished 12 games out of first place last season.
While it’s a bit early to start ordering champagne and planning parade routes, it is worth looking at how teams in the recent past have fared after starting the season in a similar fashion. Since 1990, six other clubs have gone 7-0. We examined how each team performed after the hot start, what led to the success, and whether it had what it took to win in October.