Athletics Unveil Plans to Build New Stadium to Open for 2023 Season
Nov 28, 2018
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 22: General view of the Oakland Athletics logos in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
Ben Ross of NBC Sports noted construction is slated to start in late 2020 for a park that will open for the 2023 season. The park will contain 34,000 seats and be located near Jack London Square on the waterfront.
"I think the urban downtown location right on the waterfront is really a game-changer for the A's and for Oakland," team president Dave Kaval said, per Ross. "It's just a tremendous site. Having the connection to the water, the connection to Jack London Square, it's a tremendous location for a ballpark."
The Athletics announced the park will be privately financed and serve as the focal point of a redevelopment of the area that will also include affordable housing, small businesses and restaurants. There will be an Open House on Thursday from 6-9 PM to discuss the projects.
The team has played in the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum since its 1968 move from Kansas City, and part of the project is to redevelop that stadium as well. The Athletics explained they will "address several specific community needs and opportunities" with moves that will include a park, affordable housing, restaurants and community gathering spaces.
The team shared a look at some of the plans and noted Oracle Arena—the current home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors before they head to San Francisco next season—will be used as a concert and cultural events center.
What's more, the original baseball diamond of the historic Coliseum will be preserved:
The ballpark at Howard Terminal returns the baseball experience to the roots of the sport, while reimagining the ballpark anew. A “ballpark within a park,” the intimate stadium is nestled carefully into its urban surroundings. https://t.co/vLuiX01aT0#RootedInOaklandpic.twitter.com/ZjTXknlU1A
The new park will be anchored by the two focal points of Oakland sports history: Oracle Arena, repurposed as a concert and cultural events center; and the original Coliseum baseball diamond, preserved to inspire the next generation of ballplayers. https://t.co/vLuiX01aT0pic.twitter.com/QuYThO6nhG
Ross noted there have been roadblocks to a new stadium before, including last year when the team thought it was primed to build a park near downtown's Lake Merritt. However, landowners stopped those talks before plans were finalized.
Oakland made the playoffs during the 2018 season for the first time since 2014 thanks to a 97-65 record. Despite the success, it was still just 26th in the league in attendance per game at 19,427 while playing at the Coliseum.
The new 34,000-seat would be a smaller and more intimate venue as the Athletics look to improve their attendance totals and establish themselves as regular contenders in the AL West.
Bob Melvin Wins 2018 AL Manager of Year Award
Nov 13, 2018
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Manager Bob Melvin #6 of the Oakland Athletics stands in the dugout prior to the game against the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 3, 2018 New York, New York. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 7-2. Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
Oakland Athletics skipper Bob Melvin has been named the 2018 American League Manager of the Year.
It marks the third time Melvin has been named Manager of the Year in his 15-year career. He won the award in the National League with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 and in the AL with the A's in 2012.
The 2018 campaign was his eighth year on the job in Oakland. His club had not posted a winning record since 2014, although it had shown steady improvement in each of the past two seasons.Â
Melvin's squad took a big step forward this year, besting their 2017 win total by 22 games. Despite having the lowest payroll in all of baseball on Opening Day, the A's went 97-65 and earned the second AL wild-card spot.
Oakland's season ended with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game.
The A's were able to use a total team effort to make the postseason. They had just one pitcher throw more than 116 innings this season, with Sean Manaea throwing just under 161 innings. As a result, Melvin opted to go with a bullpen game in the Wild Card Game.
Regardless of Oakland's one-and-done postseason showing, Melvin took a team that had finished last in the AL West in three consecutive seasons and found a way to earn a playoff berth.
Melvin has just one year remaining on his contract, although Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press reported in early October that the organization would explore an extension for the 57-year-old skipper this offseason.Â
Athletics 3B Matt Chapman Wins Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award
Nov 7, 2018
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics fields during the game against the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 3, 2018 New York, New York. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 7-2. Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
The award is given to the best defender in the majors during the season at any position, and Chapman stood above the rest to get the well-deserved honor. He is the first Athletics player to win the award in its seven-year history, per 95.7 The Game.
Chapman is also the first third baseman to win the honor and just the third infielder out of nine recipients (the awards were handed out by the league in the first two years).
The 25-year-old had an outstanding season in the field and it was seen in several defensive metrics:
He led all Major Leaguers regardless of position in defensive runs saved (29), and led American League third basemen in total chances (484), assists (331), and zone rating (.853).
This helped him win the Gold Glove award in his first full year at this level, while his 24 home runs and .864 OPS made him a breakout player across baseball.
Considering he has still only played 229 career games, Chapman is basically just getting started in his career and will likely take home more hardware before it's all said and done.
No one has ever won the Overall Defensive Player of the Year twice, but the A's star has a chance to break the trend based on his talent at the position.
Bob Melvin, Billy Beane, David Forst Agree to Athletics Contract Extensions
Oct 29, 2018
Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin speaks during a news conference before American League wildcard baseball game against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Oakland Athletics made the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 campaign and decided to keep the major pieces in place heading into the 2019 season.
The A's announced they have agreed to long-term contract extensions with executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane, general manager David Forst and manager Bob Melvin. Melvin has been the manager since he took over for the fired Bob Geren in 2011 and has helped lead the Athletics to the postseason four times during his tenure.
Beane, who was famously portrayed by Brad Pitt in the movie Moneyball, became the Athletics general manager in 1997. He served in that role for 18 years before shifting to his current position and has overseen nine playoff appearances in the past 21 seasons. He is also a minority owner of the team.
Forst took over as general manager after Beane moved toward baseball operations.
Oakland was one of baseball's biggest surprises under the trio during the 2018 campaign after finishing in last place in the American League West the prior three years. The A's went 97-65 and reached the American League Wild Card Game, and Melvin is a candidate for AL Manager of the Year as a result.
"I'm proud of the tremendous success of our team under the leadership of Billy, David and Bob and am excited to have that continue for years to come," owner John Fisher said, per Jon Becker of the Mercury News.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Melvin's contract extension will keep him in place through 2021 and make him one of the five highest-paid managers at around $3.5 million a year.
The report also noted Forst's extension is through the 2023 campaign, while Beane is thought to be with the team indefinitely even though the exact specifications of the contract were unknown.
Billy Beane: Khris Davis, A's Have Had 'Preliminary Talks' on Contract Extension
Oct 5, 2018
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Khris Davis #2 of the Oakland Athletics hits a two-run homerun during the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)
Oakland A's executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane confirmed the team has had "preliminary" discussions about a contract extension with designated hitter Khris Davis.Â
"We've had some preliminary conversations about keeping him around longer," Beane told reporters Friday, according to NBC Sports California's Ben Ross. "The good thing is Khris is going to be back next year for sure, no matter what. But we're also aware of the fact that he's going to be a free agent after that. We're aware of his value to the club."
Davis, who led the majors with 48 home runs this season, will be under team control in 2019 but is currently scheduled to become a free agent prior to the 2020 campaign.Â
Last offseason, Davis and the A's agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract to avoid arbitration.Â
As Ross noted, the 30-year-old is now in line for a comfortable raise as the two sides prepare to head back to the negotiating table after he finished the year with 123 RBI and a .874 OPS.Â
Davis has now hit at least 40 home runs in three straight seasons and posted an average of .247 four years running.Â
"I know he's going to hit .247 next year," Beane joked, per Ross. "We can count on that consistency. We also know he's going to hit 40 home runs. I'm a big fan of the home run."
According to FanGraphs, Davis leads all players with 133 home runs over the past three seasons. Giancarlo Stanton ranks second with 124 during that stretch, while Nelson Cruz is situated in third with 119.Â
'This Is the Real KD': Khris Davis Is MLB's Heart-Melting, Bean-Hitting HR King
Oct 1, 2018
Oakland Athletics' Khris Davis stands on the field before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
OAKLAND, Calif. — Khris Davis spends his evenings hunting sweet spots. And here Oakland's slugger is again, late night, applause still ringing in his ears…coiled…poised to strike…hands in the right spot…one of them firmly gripping a piece of another 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and…boom! Found it.
Perfect fit as he carefully locks it into place.
It is another small triumph for Davis and his fiancee, Jill, in a season full of them.
This time, it is a puzzle that features a picture of succulent plants. Yes, plants. You were maybe expecting a photo of Monument Park in Yankee Stadium? Recently, they completed a Star Wars-themed puzzle.
"I like sci-fi movies," Davis says. "It was a Star Wars Millennium Falcon, which was pretty fun."
From jigsaw puzzles to the middle-away fastballs he regularly drives over the right-center fence, Davis has been hitting all the sweet spots lately: Only two men have slugged 40 or more home runs over three consecutive seasons in Athletics franchise history, Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (1932-34) and Davis (2016-18). He is the first major leaguer to pound 40 or more homers and drive home 100 or more runs over three consecutive seasons since Philadelphia's Ryan Howard did it in four (2006-09).
Like the man he once handed bats to as a teenager, Ken Griffey Jr., Davis' home runs exit to all fields, and the fact that he's smashing them in what basically amounts to baseball's Grand Canyon is even more dazzling. There are no cheapies in the Oakland Coliseum, not given the dimensions and the cool night air.
His is the kind of productivity that makes manager Bob Melvin look smart, and Melvin, one of the game's best, needs little help there. It's also the kind of productivity that gives little ol' teams like Oakland the kind of turbocharge they need to stand toe-to-toe with the mighty Yankees. Still, few outside the East Bay have paid notice.
It's hard to blame them. Davis did not come pre-packaged with gushing words from scouts or screaming headlines from college exploits. Milwaukee selected him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, and then shipped him to Oakland for two minor league pitchers in February 2016, even after he led the Brewers with 27 homers in '15.
"We've all seen players that seem to be anointed with privilege and honor in the game," says Rodney Davis, Khris' father. "That Khristopher has earned all of this makes me super proud of him."
A seventh-round draft pick in 2009, Khris Davis has hit more home runs than anyone in the majors over the last three seasons.
Now coaching high school baseball and serving at his church in Southern California, Rodney played minor league ball in the Dodgers organization and then spent time as a scout and rookie-ball hitting coach for Seattle and Arizona. It was while he was with Seattle that young Khris moonlighted at times as a Mariners spring training batboy, thus affording himself a front-row seat to watch Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Mike Cameron and Co. (When he is in a groove pounding home runs, Davis describes it as being able to "channel my inner Griffey.")
"There are times in athletics where, for whatever reason, the game just gives some people a simpler road to success," Rodney Davis continues. "Khris has paved his own road with hard work, and not necessarily by people recognizing what a hard worker he is and how talented he is."
He does not draw attention to himself. He does not indulge in look-at-me fashion statements. Even his batting average remains consistent, coming in at .247 for each of the last four seasons. He goes out of his way to stay under the radar, which is one reason why Oakland is a perfect fit.
The loudest thing about him, by far, is his bat.
"I'm as basic as it gets," Davis says. "Homebody. Low-maintenance."
Not that Davis is boring, but…
"No, I'm boring," he protests. "Write that down. I'm boring. Boring."
This side of home runs and wins, his favorite times are at home with Jill and their son, Pablo, who turned one Sept. 15. They keep Pablo on a strict schedule, the puzzles often coming together while he sleeps. Always, they must be 1,000 pieces or more. Anything less is too easy.
"Jill is the better puzzler," Davis says. "I'm just, like, her little sidekick."
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Sweet Spot No. 1: Of beans and broomsticks
So how does a guy who isn't exactly oversized—Davis is 5'10"—develop wrists and hand-eye coordination quick enough to become a home run king?
Beans.
Sonia helped her son, Khris, hone his batting eye by pitching him beans when he was a kid.
While his father led him to the baseball field early in his life and his mother (who still works two jobs) instilled a work ethic Davis credits her for, it was while playing travel ball that Davis honed his swing.
The father of one of his teammates led a drill that he took to immediately. Davis even remembers his teammate's name: Adam Bailey.
"[Khris] just out of the blue got out a bag of beans one day and says, 'OK mom, you're going to have to pitch beans to me,'" Sonia says. "I was like, 'What?!'"
Soon, she regularly was sitting on a bucket in the backyard tossing pinto beans to her son, who used a broomstick to hit them. It is a drill he still uses today, especially in the winter.
"Pretty soon I said, 'I need goggles, I've got all these beans buzzing by my ears,'" Sonia recalls. "I'd pitch and then turn my head to the side so I wouldn't get hit in the face."
In case you haven't tried this at home, pinto beans don't exactly travel far—at least, not with any kind of control. So the bucket had to be placed fairly close to Khris. Instead of goggles, she wound up using sunglasses for protection.
Still, she'd get smacked in the face with a bean a couple of times every session.
"It wasn't too bad," she says. "I didn't mind. If it wasn't beans, it would be throwing ground balls to him on the street and him working on defense. If it wasn't that, it was tossing balls in batting cages. Which I did not mind, as long as I didn't get hit."
During batting practice today, he follows another routine with teammate Matt Chapman: During one round, Chapman, Oakland's third baseman, will move over to second, and Davis will shoot line drives and ground balls that way, trying to beat the A's defensive whiz.
"I think it's really done wonders for his swing," assistant hitting coach Mike Aldrete says.
Davis plays pingpong and video games, which he says also keeps his hand-eye coordination sharp. Keeps his smack talk sharp, too. Like most clubs, the Athletics have a gaggle of gamers who gather on team charters, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy was crowing recently about dethroning Davis in Mario Kart.
Davis cringes.
"It can easily be taken back," he vows.
Lucroy laughs.
"He's like my brother, man," says Lucroy, who was also Davis' teammate in Milwaukee from 2013 to 2015.
The admiration Lucroy has for Davis, though, has not always been shared by fans. Davis, who is half black and half Mexican, has at times been the target of racial abuse.
Embraced by teammates and fans in Oakland, Davis said he has dealt with "racial stuff" from some fans over the course of his career.
"Definitely, I've had to battle some racial stuff playing baseball," he says. "It's a predominantly white sport. I've had my situations, but at the same time that's made me who I am today."
He offers only one specific, that fans have "popped off about my hair being nappy." But Davis admits he has encountered incidents from his teenage years in the minors all the way up to today.
"You've just got to take it for what it is and know that not every human on this planet is a good human," he says. "I'm not going to tell you it doesn't exist when it really does.
"I think as long as we keep growing, it's going to get better. I think society's gotten better, but the world is not ever going to be perfect."
How he handles it, he says, mostly depends on the situation.
"I feel like racism today is very concealed," he says. "Very concealed.
"You've just got to put on your smile and beat 'em with kindness, almost. Kill 'em with kindness."
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Sweet Spot No. 2: All the feels
Anthony Slocumb is having a pretty darn good day.
"I'm actually extra good, because I just got my progress reports and I have an A and an A-plus," he gushes with heart-melting enthusiasm.
He's just hopped into his mother's car after another day of sixth grade, and the lucky kid suddenly is surrounded—in addition to his mother, father and two cats—by A's. Hidden away in his bedroom at home is an autographed Khris Davis jersey.
Slocumb, 10, has a rare cancer called Langerhans cell histiocytosis. He was diagnosed on Jan. 1, 2015, came through chemotherapy like a champ and has been in remission for three years. Anthony's condition is not terminal, but the kid was really sick.
Davis first spied Slocumb in August, when Anthony was with a group of Make-A-Wish kids on the field before the game. During batting practice, Davis often makes it a point to visit with fans gathered behind the plate—especially kids.
"If I see someone I feel I could touch," he explains. "Just seeing [ill] kids in their innocence, that's a tough situation. That's the worst situation to be in."
When Anthony saw Davis, he asked for his autograph. Anthony was nearly rendered speechless when Davis asked if Slocumb would like to sign his jersey.
Anthony Slocumb (left) signs Davis' jersey hours before the Oakland slugger hit another of his 48 home runs this season.
"Sure, but I have bad handwriting," Anthony said.
"That's OK."
"Do you want me to put my full name?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Says Davis: "I thought I could make someone's day better and say hi. I was just thinking about him being in my shoes. What it's like for everybody to be asking for an autograph, and I thought maybe we should reverse roles. It just popped into my head."
When the game started, the television cameras spied Anthony's signature on the back of Davis' right shoulder, but it wasn't until Davis crushed a home run that things went viral.
Later that night, from her home in Arizona, Davis' mother, Sonia, texted her son to tell him how proud she was of him, along with a reminder of the Make-A-Wish history in their own family: Khris' cousin, Charles, was eight years older and grew up with sickle cell anemia. Charles didn't have a big sports moment like Anthony, but he participated in Make-A-Wish camps that Sonia says she isn't even sure Khris was aware of.
"Charles was kind of a miracle in our family," Rodney says. "He was cured of sickle cell, underwent a bone marrow transplant, lived a lot of nights in the Ronald McDonald House and lived longer than he was supposed to.
"I like to say he lived to the ripe old age of 32."
When Charles passed in 2012, it was the first time death struck so close to Khris.
"I feel that his cousin was talking to him through that moment [with Anthony]," Sonia says.
Meantime, the slugger's tenderness sent ripples of kindness for a 10-year-old in remission that stretched far beyond the Oakland Coliseum. Television news cameras were at school the next day, Anthony was a hero and, playing off the "Athletics," Anthony's friends dubbed him "Anthletic."
"It was his first week of middle school," Natalie Sanchez, Anthony's mother, says. "He had middle school jitters, didn't know a lot of people, and this broke the ice and gave him a chance to meet new people."
Sometimes, the right power hitter's reach can far exceed the distances of his tape-measure home runs.
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Sweet Spot No. 3: The parking space
It is the Bay Area's excellent fortune to house two exceptional KDs: the Athletics' "Khrush" and the two-time NBA champion who plays across the parking lot for the Warriors. Word is, Warriors fans can get possessive about theirs.
"This is the real KD to me," Chapman says, nodding toward Davis' locker. "[Warriors' fans] might seem to be cranky, but they all seem to be cranky anyway, so let them be cranky."
After hitting 60 home runs in his first three seasons with the Brewers, Davis has connected for 133 homers over his last three years in Oakland.
The A's and Warriors share a common lot between the Coliseum and Oracle Arena, but a look at the spaces reveals just one of the differences between NBA royalty and MLB peasants: The Warriors have assigned spaces; the Athletics do not. Not even for their KD.
Chapman was blissfully unaware of this until he made the mistake of parking in the wrong spot in late March and a security guard showed up in the A's clubhouse.
"Can we move your car?" the guard asked.
"Why?" Chapman replied.
"You parked in Kevin Durant's parking spot."
"It was just a random parking spot; how was I supposed to know it was his spot?" Chapman says. "He was pissed, though. I gave [a clubhouse attendant] my keys and let him move the car. KD wasn't happy.
"So this is my real KD."
Controversies like this—semi-serious and serious—Davis mostly sits out. For one thing, he's barely on social media—Snapchat is all he does—so he's unaware of much of it.
Teammate Jed Lowrie takes it back to the Make-A-Wish moment that the A's all admired.
"That's just a perfect example of a guy who's humble and doesn't pretend to be someone he's not," Lowrie says.
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Sweet Spot No. 4: Oaktown (A breakfast story)
Around town, Davis sometimes is recognized. But not often enough to forget the time roughly a year ago when he wound up with a free breakfast at the Oakland Grill.
"One of the owners recognized me, is a big fan and ended up taking care of my breakfast," Davis says. "I was grateful. That was the first time that happened."
He keeps it real. There is no entourage. His inner circle, he estimates, is limited to five or six close friends. Most of his time away from the field now is reserved for Jill—they will marry this winter—and Pablo.
They're a matched set, Davis and Oakland.
"He loves being here," Melvin says. "We have a tough time finding players like him who want to be in Oakland. It's tough for us to sign high-profile free agents here. So for him to want to be here is really important. And fans feel it, too.
Oakland's front office believes Davis has grown fond of the city and the team, which will make its first postseason appearance since 2014 this year.
"He's a guy who is not looking for his next contract someplace else. He's looking for it here. Other places have a little more bells and whistles than us, but that doesn't bother him."
Davis, who becomes eligible for free agency after the 2019 season, has been vocal about his desire to stay in Oakland. No small part of that is Melvin. The slugger has grown exceptionally close with the manager in their three years together. Melvin helped talk him through his difficult decision to withdraw from the 2017 World Baseball Classic—he was set to play for Team Mexico, honoring the heritage of his mother's side of the family, but felt "overextended"—has shielded him at times from the public eye when Davis needed privacy and provides pep talks when the slugger is feeling sluggish.
"BoMel on a daily basis reminds me I'm one of the best hitters in the game," Davis says. "And for him to tell me that … I brush it off because I'm really hard on myself. It's tough for me to believe sometimes because I'm so hot and cold. But he's there to make sure I believe in myself. He instills that confidence, which is so cool.
"I'm lucky to be here. So lucky."
During a vacation last winter in Hawaii, Davis even paused long enough to text Melvin videos of little Pablo on the beach.
"It took a little while for his personality to come out," Melvin says. "But once it did, there are very few guys over the course of my managerial career that I feel as close to."
Talk about sweet spots. On the field, Davis continues to khrush. Off the field, as he chills listening to J. Cole, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar and assorted West Coast rappers (his favorites) and locks in puzzle pieces with Jill, it surely won't be long until his mother is tossing pinto beans to little Pablo, her first grandchild. "I think that's my next adventure," Sonia says.
And at breakfast spots and on televisions throughout Oakland, it's become difficult to miss Davis now.
"Can you tell Khris Davis I said hello," Anthony asks, "and thanks for everything?"
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Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.
A's Khris Davis Finishes with .247 Batting Average for 4th Straight Season
Sep 30, 2018
Oakland Athletics' Khris Davis rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Find yourself someone as consistent as Oakland Athletics slugger Khris Davis is at hitting exactly .247 over the course of a 162-game baseball season.
Davis went 0-for-2 during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels—the final one of the regular season—which brought his batting average to .247 for the 2018 campaign. According to Jane Lee of MLB.com, Davis has now hit .247 in four straight seasons.
While .247 isn't a sparkling batting average, Oakland is surely more than happy with Davis' season seeing how he drilled 48 home runs and tallied 123 RBI while helping lead the team into the postseason.
Oakland will face the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game on Wednesday.
Davis has never played in a postseason game in his career, but don't be surprised if he hits .247 in his first October experience this year.
Athletics Clinch Berth in 2018 MLB Playoffs After Rays Loss to Yankees
Sep 24, 2018
Oakland Athletics' Khris Davis, right, celebrates with Jed Lowrie (8) after hitting a two-run home run off Texas Rangers' Yohander Mendez in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Coming off a 75-87 record last season, expectations for the A's were modest. Their biggest offseason move was acquiring outfielder Stephen Piscotty in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.Â
The combination of a loaded bullpen, excellent defense and development from position players such as Matt Olson and Matt Chapman led to Oakland's resurgence in the American League West.Â
After falling to 36-36 with a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on June 17, the A's hit their stride and didn't look back. They have gone 58-26 since that defeat and are still within striking distance of the Houston Astros to win the division.Â
Per FanGraphs' Craig Edwards, All-Star closer Blake Treinen is having a historic season out of the Oakland bullpen:
"The combination of Treinen's good pitching and Oakland's defense—and, perhaps, a little bit of luck—means that only four relievers have ever posted an ERA- lower than Treinen's current figure of 21: Zach Britton, Dennis Eckersley, Jonathan Papelbon, and Fernando Rodney. When you combine that run-prevention with a ton of high-leverage situations, you get one of the top Win Probability Added (WPA) seasons of all time."
As Sullivan noted, the Athletics defense has also been crucial to their success. They rank third in MLB in FanGraphs' defensive value (36.4) and 10th in defensive runs saved (27). For comparison, they finished 27th in defensive runs saved and last in defensive value during the 2017 campaign.Â
Adding to the stunning nature of Oakland's accomplishments this season, Sean Manaea is the only pitcher in the starting rotation with at least 150 innings pitched. Unfortunately, the southpaw had shoulder surgery on Sept. 19 and will miss all of next season.Â
Through all of the rotation turnover, the A's haven't skipped a beat. They are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and will be a dangerous opponent because of their lineup and bullpen depth.Â
Athletics Destroy Angels in 21-3 Blowout Win Amid Playoff Push
Sep 20, 2018
Oakland Athletics' Matt Chapman (26) and Nick Martini (38) are congratulated after scoring against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Oddly enough, they were losing at one point in this blowout.
Los Angeles got on the board first with a run in the top of the third, but that lead would not last long. Oakland immediately responded, putting up a five-spot in the bottom of the frame. The inning was highlighted by a two-run double from third baseman Matt Chapman and a three-run shot by Stephen Piscotty.
That big inning would chase Angels starter Matt Shoemaker from the game—and it would only be the start of a big day at the plate for the A's.
In the fourth, Oakland blew the game wide-open with seven more runs. This time around, though, it was a game of get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in. Eleven batters came to the plate, with eight getting hits and one reaching via error. At one point, seven consecutive A's batters reached base.
The wild part? Los Angeles faced a two-out, nobody-on situation before an error by shortstop Andrelton Simmons sent things spiraling out of control.
The Angels were able to keep the A's off the board in the fifth, but when the sixth rolled around, the Oakland bats came to life once again, this time for six runs. The first eight batters of the inning reached, with the help of three walks, three singles and two doubles.
A double play bailed Los Angeles out of further damage.
The scoring barrage was capped off with three in the seventh, highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Nick Martini (his first career blast) and Chad Pinder.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ann Killion, the 21-run outburst is the second-highest total in franchise history for Oakland. The A's put up 23 against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 30, 2000. Their 22 hits were also a season-high.
Edwin Jackson (6-3) picked up the win for Oakland by allowing just two runs on three hits in 5.1 innings of work, striking out seven. Shoemaker was charged with the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Mike Trout hit his 36th home run of the year in a loss for the Angels.
Oakland (92-61) now has a six-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card race with nine to play. The Athletics' magic number is now down to five.
Athletics Pitcher Sean Manaea Will Undergo Surgery to Repair Shoulder Injury
Sep 11, 2018
Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea throws to a Minnesota Twins batter during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 24, 2018 in Minneapolis. The Athletics defeated the Twins 7-1. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
Manaea will have arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Sept. 19 at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. The club will provide further details after the surgery.
Manager Bob Melvin announced Manaea is expected to miss all of the 2019 season while he recovers, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.
The A's southpaw has not pitched since Aug. 24, when he improved his record to 12-9 by holding the Minnesota Twins to just one unearned run on five hits in five innings. He left the game having thrown just 67 pitches. He was placed on the disabled list two days later due to shoulder impingement.
Manaea was in the midst of his best season to date. The third-year pitcher tied or set career highs in wins (12), innings (160.2), earned run average (3.59), WHIP (1.08), complete games (one) and shutouts (one).
His first career shutout just happened to be a no-hitter back on April 21 against the Boston Red Sox, a team that has run away with the best record in the majors. He struck out 10 while walking only two in that historic outing.
That was the first of three no-hitters thrown around Major League Baseball to date. It earned him American League Player of the Week honors. It also helped him set an A's franchise record with 14 consecutive hitless innings.
Without Manaea the past few weeks, Oakland has been able to stay in the playoff hunt. The Athletics are just three games back of the reigning champion Houston Astros in the AL West and hold a 7.5-game lead in the AL wild-card race.
