The Red Sox and Orioles are on pace to set an unusual MLB record

The Red Sox are currently on pace for the most wins in franchise history, and they are a World Series favorite with a stacked roster and all the momentum in the world.u5:p

The Orioles, on the other hand, aren't.
u5:p

Barring an unexpected hot streak in Baltimore and a total collapse in Boston, these two clubs are on pace to finish further apart from one another than any first- and last-place teams in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) have ever finished. Here's how their current 60-game gap compares to others of the era (click the graphic to enlarge). u5:p
Coincidentally, the two gaps the Red Sox and O's will surpass both occurred in 1998. The 114-win 1998 Yankees were perhaps the most dominant team of the entire decade, and their 51-game lead over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their inaugural season could not have been a surprise to anyone.u5:p

The 1998 Braves can credit their record-setting 52-game advantage over the Marlins to the fact that they got peak seasons from four Hall of Famers (Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux) and one should-maybe-be-a-Hall-of-Famer (Andruw Jones).

That the Red Sox and O's have accomplished such an odd and seemingly unreachable feat is impressive. While it's no Joe DiMaggio hit streak or Barry Bonds home run record, this feels like a record that won't be broken for a while.u5:p