Unbelievable. There’s no other word to describe the season the Oakland A’s are having. Unlike their rivals from across the bay bridge who clinched their division over a week ago, the A’s just clinched moments ago against the Texas Rangers. In the final season series against their American League West division rivals the A’s went in trailing by two games with three remaining.
At the beginning of the series I would have thought that taking two out of three and getting the first wild card would be a success. After witnessing the first game first hand I had a different feeling. The stadium was electric. There was an aura that surrounded the stadium and it felt as though this might be a season of destiny for the Oakland A’s. They quieted the normally thunderous bats of Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre; their starting pitching was great and their bullpen shut the door, closing out the Rangers chances on a third consecutive division title.
It was a different hero every night. Game one we saw Coco Crisp drive in the game defying run. Game two we saw A’s pitcher Travis Blackley go six innings, giving up only one run. Then in the final game of the three game series the Oakland A’s opened up their offense, pounding the Rangers for 12 earned runs.
The big heroes of this game were Derek Norris and Brandon Moss who combined for 5RBI between them. The A’s did not waste chances. They were able to bring in their 12 runs while only accruing 11 hits. It did not matter in the end as the A’s won handily.
So here we are. The Oakland A’s complete their amazingly improbable run and end up at the top of the AL West. Their pitching has been their backbone all year, with the MLB’s 6th best ERA. They have scored 701 runs, 15th best, and have the 15th best slugging percentage. They rank in the top 10 in batting average against, quality starts, and WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched).
How good have the A’s been recently? Behind the power surge of players like Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, and the 1st base combo of Brandon Moss and Chris Carter the A’s slugged their way to 194 home runs. Since July 1st they are 56 and 26. That’s a winning percentage of .683, the best in baseball. 2010 showed the baseball world that timely hitting and great pitching leads to championships — the winners that year were the San Francisco Giants. It seems as though the Oakland A’s are this years version of that same story.
This is the proverbial definition of a team. You look at the players from the Oakland A’s who were on the starting American League All-Star Team and you will find exactly 0. Before the midway point of this season I’d bet most people outside of the bay area couldn’t name more than five people on the active roster. But that’s part of this team’s allure. They are the quintessential definition of team. Fun to watch, they pick each other up, and they never take gratitude without spreading around to the rest of the team. You have to love that kind of team chemistry.
With all that in mind I truly would like to see a Bay Bridge World series part II. I was far too young to remember that experience. Admittedly, the Giants are the team that tends to occupy my computer and television screens, but the A’s have been an amazing story that I’ve come to watch and become enamored with. Nothing would be better than a bay bridge world series. It would finally put the baseball spotlight on the teams from the bay area and away from the same old songs sung by teams such as the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.
Bay Area Baseball Love 
A bay bridge series would be the best thing for baseball right now. There’s too much emphasis on big name players, their payrolls, and those who sign the checks. While the A’s have the lowest budget in baseball at $59.5 million, the Giants are not one of the renowned heavy-weights like Texas, or Boston and New York, as you pointed out. Neither team was a favorite by analysts at the beginning of the season. Both saw their Southern California rivals go out and make some ridiculous purchases this past off season only to have their season cut short of the October madness. This year was not just an accomplishment for the A’s, it was an all-out embarrassment of LA, and a lesson to be learned for other big markets. While the days of Moneyball may be long gone, Oakland General Manager, Billy Beane, still has a few tricks up his sleeve. And us in Oakland hope he’ll never leave.