Six years ago, my love for the Oakland Athletics was rekindled. I even wrote about my love for the 2012 team. Things have certainly changed since then. I became a father, bought a house, turned 40 and watched the A's go from World Series contender to yet another rebuilding franchise. With no new stadium in sight (still) and the Astros looking to be contenders for a decade, it appeared that I was headed for another long summer tracking my favorite baseball team from the east coast. Joyous times in the East Bay seemed like they would not happen.
But.....
The 2018 version of the green and gold has done it again. This team started to gel late in the 2017 season with the emergence of Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Sean Manaea. Starting in May of 2016, the A's went 10 straight months without a winning record. They finished last in AL West in 2015, 2016 and would do so following the 2017 season. In September of 2017, though, the young team scraped together a 17-12 finish (one game in October) to give fans hope for a better 2018.
Like in 2012 the front office made moves to keep the team young and cheap. Sonny Gray was exiled to New York for prospects. Ryan Madson and fan favorite Sean Doolittle, were sent to DC for Blake Treinen, who had already been in Oakland once before going to DC in one of their 700+ trades together. Both Yonder Alonso and Ryon Healy (47 combined HRs) were passed along to Seattle in separate deals. Both the offense and the pitching would be a bunch of youngsters and Vegas did not give the 2018 much hope of making the playoffs. After 75 victories in 2017, Vegas set the win over/under line for the 2018 A's at 74. So much for the youth movement working.
The starting rotation was going to look something like this:
Kendall Graveman (seven starts, a near 8 ERA and then lost for the season)
Jharel Cotton (injured in Spring Training, out for the year)
Sean Manaea (27 starts before being lost for the season and most of 2019)
Andrew Triggs (nine starts with a 5+ ERA before being lost for the season)
Daniel Mengden (17 starts, some relief appearances, a two month DL stint)
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AJ Puk was going to come up and help, but he was injured and lost for the season
Paul Blackburn chipped in with six starts before being injured for the season
Chris Bassitt provided seven decent starts
Daniel Gossett even gave them five starts before being injured and lost for the season
All in all the 2018 Oakland Athletics used 15 pitchers to start a game. And they damn near won 100 games. Unbelievable.
The offense stayed healthy, the bullpen became dominant. Magical things happened late into the night and I once again fell head over heels with the A's. They did not win the division on the last day of the season like in 2012, but will instead get another shot at the AL Wild Card game. I will not speak of the previous one they participated in. Still too soon.
This year they will head to New York and face the hated Yankees. If they win that, they get to face the greatest Red Sox team in their storied history. If they get by them, the last two AL teams to reach the World Series will be waiting, including the defending champs, the Houston Astros. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy path, right?
Before the drama of October happens, let me recap the 97 reasons why I love the 2018 Oakland Athletics:
1) Sean Manaea threw a no-hitter
2) Khris Davis became the best know version of that name in MLB
3) Matt Chapman has a rocket launcher for an arm
4) Je-doubles Lowrie became Je-homers Lowrie while still hitting 37 doubles
5) Daniel Mengden's moustache
6) Blake Treinen evolving into The Witch (h/t @PitchingNinja)
7) Lou Trivino throwing 99 out of nowhere
8) Marcus Semien fixing his defensive issues
9) Matt Olson making all the IFs look like gold glove winners
10) Gretchen Piscotty - Rest in Peace
11) Stephen Piscotty hitting a HR in his first AB following the loss of his mother
12) Stephen Piscotty's post All-Star break dominance
13) Ramon Laureano's arm
14) That throw - you know which one
15) Ramon Laureano's first hit being a walk-off
16) Matt Olson hitting a walk-off HR against the Astros to tie them in the standings
17) That comeback versus the Rangers
18) Scoring 21 against the Angels
19) Passing by the Mariners and never looking back
20) Liam Hendriks becoming an 'opener'
21) Trading for everyone's best bullpen arm
22) Fernando Rodney's change-up and hat
23) Jeurys Familia getting wins in his first two appearances with Oakland
24) Nick Martini getting on base - all the time
25) Khris Davis leading the majors in HRs
26) Jonathan Lucroy just caught you stealing
27) Bat Flipping Season - Mark Canha beats the Giants - not sorry
28) Mike Fiers' curveball
29) Edwin Jackson joining his 13th team
30) Brett Anderson coming back to Oakland
31) Trevor Cahill coming back to Oakland
32) Matt Joyce fighting through injuries and not making waves
33) Franklin Barreto with a 2 HR, 6 RBI game
34) June 16th
35) Blake Treinein has a near 100 MPH fastball, sinker and about 3 other pitches you can't hit
36) Bob Melvin
37) The platoon players - Pinder/Martini/Canha/Laureano/Fowler
38) Ryan Buchter getting lefties out
39) Yusmeirio Petit doing it all
40) Opening Day Walk-off
41) All the Home Runs
42) Shawn Kelley proving the Nationals wrong
43) Sweeping the season series from Toronto
44) Sweeping the season series from Detroit
45) Not having a losing month
46) When you try to bunt on Matt Chapman
47) When you try to run on Ramon Laureano
48) When you try to steal on Jonathan Lucroy
49) When you try to sneak a fastball by Khris Davis up and away
50) When you try to hit Blake Treinen
51) Going nearly perfect when leading after 7 innings
52) Daniel Mengden's wind-up
53) J.B. Wendelken becoming...good?
54) Frankie Montas with huge starts when he was needed most
55) Trevor Cahill with 7 IP, 1 H vs Houston on August 18th
56) Mike Fiers with 7 IP, 1 H vs Texas on August 20th
57) Brett Anderson with 7 IP, 1 H vs Texas on August 21st
58) Scoring runs in the 8th inning
59) #MolsonBombs - dropping a shot of a shot of half Creme de menthe, half Goldschlager (green and gold) into a Molson. Chug before he touches home plate.
60) Khris Davis with a walk-off HR on my 40th birthday
61) Khris Davis hitting .247 - again
62) Matt Chapman becoming a good hitter
63) Bringing the 'opener' to Oakland
64) The bullpen - I can't say this enough
65) The bullpen - I really can't say this enough
66) Hey look - Josh Lucas started a game
67) Making the national media think about a Moneyball 2
68) Bob Melvin getting tossed for all the right reasons
69) 31-14 in one run games
70) 13-6 in extra inning games
71) 14 shutouts
72) Not rushing Jesus Luzardo to the bigs
73) Chapman with the walk-off grounder vs San Francisco
74) Treinen for Cy Young
75) Chapman for MVP
76) Laureano for ROY
77) and other things I never thought I would consider
78) A 0.78 ERA?!?!!?!?
79) Bob Melvin once again Manager of the Year
80) Road HRs - isn't the WC game on the road?
81) Knocking Luis Severino out after 2.2
82) Lucroy doesn't hit too many HRs, but a Grand Slam off Hamels was awesome
83) Making sure Chris Hatcher does not pitch in any important innings
84) Same for Danny Coulombe
85) And for Santiago Castillo
86) First time in Oakland history the entire infield started 128+ games each
87) Edwin Jackson and his cutter
88) Brett Anderson coming back after each injury
89) 99 RBI for Jed
90) 100 Runs Scored for Chapman
91) Five guys with 23+ HRs
92) Treinen/Trivino/Familia/Rodney/Buchter/Petit/Pagan/Kelley went a combined 39-12.
93) Fiers/Anderson/Jackson/Cahill/Mengden and Manaea went a combined 41-29
94) I have no idea who will pitch the Wild Card game
95) I wouldn't have it any other way
96) The home record was 50-31
97) The road record was 47-34. A 48th would be very sweet.
