It might be time to start seriously wondering if the New York Yankees are putting together a historic season. With nearly 40% of the 2022 schedule complete, the Bronx Bombers are on pace to comfortably set the record for the most wins in a single season.

The Yankees are atop the overall 2022 MLB standings with a 46-16 record through 62 of 162 games. If New York’s .742 win percentage holds up for the season, it would be good for a remarkable 120-42 record.

The 2001 Seattle Mariners and 1906 Chicago Cubs share the single-season MLB record with 116 victories. The Cubs had a .763 win percentage in a 155-game season, losing just 36 games and recording three ties.

In 1998, the Yankees set the franchise record with 114 victories before going on to win their first of three straight World Series. Both the Mariners and Cubs fell short of winning the championship.

Can the 2022 Yankees actually keep up this pace and make history? A closer look at the numbers suggests that New York’s hot start is no fluke. The Yankees have been MLB’s best team by a wide margin.

The New York Mets are second in the overall MLB standings, trailing the Yankees by six games. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ second-best run differential of plus-111 is well behind the Yankees’ plus-130 run differential. The San Diego Padres are a distant third, having outscored their opponents by 72 runs.

The Yankees have a nine-game lead in MLB’s best division. All three American League wild-card spots are held by teams in the AL East. New York’s win over the defending AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday gives New York a 16-2-2 series record in 2022.

The Yankees haven’t simply taken advantage of an easy schedule. New York’s 17-7 record against teams that have a winning record is the best in baseball. The Yankees are 13-4 in one-run games.

Much of the Yankees’ success is a product of the team’s outstanding pitching. The Yankees lead MLB with a 2.81 ERA. Gerrit Cole, the 2021 AL Cy Young runner-up, has the worst ERA of any Yankees’ starter at 3.33. Nestor Cortes has a 1.94 ERA in 12 starts. Clay Holmes has morphed into one of the league’s best relievers while taking over the closer role, tying Marian Rivera’s team record with 28 straight scoreless appearances.

The Yankees are the only AL team that averages more than five runs per game. Aaron Judge is the clear AL MVP favorite with a league-best 25 home runs and 1.067 OPS. Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Trevino, and Gleyber Torres are all slugging .490 or better.

No team has hit more home runs -- and no team has given up fewer home runs -- than the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees are in the bottom-third of the league in strikeouts. New York is even an elite defensive team, ranking third in defensive runs saved.

Two straight wins over the Rays starts a difficult part of the Yankees’ schedule. Through June 26, New York has 13 games against the Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros.

If the Yankees can maintain their current pace for the rest of the month, the single-season record of 116 wins could become a realistic target for New York.

Yankees Giancarlo Stanton Aaron Judge
Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees reacts with Aaron Judge #99 after hitting a two run home run during the eighth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox on September 26, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
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