The Oakland A’s beat the Texas Rangers 12-5 on Wednesday, sweeping the series and clinching the American League West title in the process.The A’s, with a pieced together team of rookies, recent call-ups and unproven veterans, did the impossible; though if you’ve followed the A’s from the All-Star break, the playoff spot is surprising but totally explainable. Sort of. By winning their first division title in six years, the pesky A’s went from a Cinderella story just trying to make the brand-new second AL wild-card playoff spot to a team chasing down the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers. ...
No one believed. Not in the off-season, when the Angels went and signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, or when the Rangers got Yu Darvish and Joe Nathan. Meanwhile, the A's quietly signed a Cuban expatriate whose name no one could pronounce. Not in March, when the pundits picked them to lose 100 games, despite A's beat writer Susan Slusser and former Rays Jonny Gomes and Grant Balfour saying the A's might have a chance at creating the same magic the Rays did in 2008, when they got to the World Series. Not in May, when the A's had to ...
Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy suffered a scary injury when a line drive hit him in the head, but his recovery has gone remarkably well. The 29-year-old was struck on the side of the head after the Los Angeles Angels Erick Aybar hit a line drive directly at him in a game on Sept. 5. The injury was described as a brain contusion and required surgery. While the days following the incident brought significantly more concern over McCarthy’s life than his prospects of playing again this season, the pitcher may be able to aid the A’s in the playoffs, as ...
It's official. The best story in the Major Leagues in 2012 has a happy regular season ending. The A's, in a game very much symbolic of their entire year, shook off a slow start to blister the Texas Rangers 12-5, completing a remarkable comeback to win the AL West title in front of a joyous Oakland Coliseum crowd.You know, it still really doesn't seem that long ago that the 2002 A's (aka Team Moneyball) rode an amazing, historic hot streak to win the division and enter the playoffs in much the same fashion. For all of the stars that team ...
It took 162 games, but we finally have the AL West champion. With a 12-5 win, the Oakland Athletics completed their epic late-season comeback with, well, an appropriate epic comeback. After the A's struck first, thanks to a Brandon Moss double in the bottom half of the opening inning, the Rangers charged back with a five-run third that chased starter A.J. Griffin from the game.Griffin, in his first major-league stint, had been nearly unhittable this season, but finally succumbed to the pressure of this play-in for the play-in game. No worries, though, because it was the American League Ryan Dempster on the opposing mound.Texas ...
If the Oakland Athletics obtain a postseason berth as the Wild Card, Jarrod Parker should be the guy to pitch in a one-game playoff. He's the clear best option. If the A's stick to the order, it's Dan Straily. However, the season ends Wednesday Oct. 3 with the elimination game scheduled for Friday Oct. 5. The extra day off allows Oakland an opportunity to use Tommy Milone or Parker in the do-or-die situation as well. Let's look at everyone else though, to clarify why it should be Parker. Travis Blackley There is a multitude of reasons Blackley should not ...
At one point this season, the Oakland A's found themselves sitting 13-games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West standings. No Longer.After game No. 161 last night, the A's now find themselves at 93-68, tied with the Rangers for first place in the AL West, having already secured at least a Wild Card berth into the playoffs. No one in the A's clubhouse is settling for the Wild Card at this point though—and why should they?The A's have been the hottest team in baseball since June 2, going 71-47 since ...
In Major League Baseball’s first season with a designed one-game playoff, the excitement that this decision was designed to create has not disappointed. Entering the final game of the 2012 regular season, just a single game separates the Yankees, Rangers, Orioles and Athletics in a season where seeding is the difference between earning a one-game bye or playing an extra playoff game. In one day, the Oakland Athletics could theoretically go from sixth place in the American League and playing on the road in a single-elimination series, to second place; avoiding the bye and sending Texas to the Wild Card ...
With their dramatic, 5-4, win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night, the Oakland A’s clinched a spot in the 2012 postseason. But now, after back-to-back wins, the two teams are tied atop the American League West with a 93-68 overall record. So, while both teams’ playoff tickets have already been punched, the A’s enter the final regular-season game with a chance to win the West and avoid the dreaded wild-card play-in game. Over the course of the season, the team’s success has been a product of a consistent and inspired state of play. While players such as Miguel Cabrera ...
Last night, O.co Coliseum was rocking. And no, it wasn’t for the Raiders.Because of their improbable, amazing second-half run, the Athletics had finally earned the fan support they strived for. It seemed inevitable that the A’s were going to miss the playoffs, especially after entering the All-Star break with a 43-43 record.Oh, and September wasn’t going to be very kind to the A’s, either.However, the A’s dominated in July and August, excelling in close games. They didn’t limp through September, when everyone thought they would crumble. The Rangers, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Yankees were among the teams who faced the ...