Oakland Athletics: A Look Back at the 2014 Wild Card Game

September 30 is not a great day in Oakland Athletics’ history. On this date a year ago, the A’s were defeated in the Wild Card Game by the Kansas City Royals in a 8-9 extra-inning loss. The A’s felt that they had a legitimate chance heading into the game, considering that Jon Lester was on the mound for the Green and Gold.

Add in the fact that the A’s were the best team in baseball for a large part of the season, and it seemed like the Royals were the underdogs. Oakland had acquired Lester at the deadline in exchange for slugger Yoenis Cespedes, as well as picking up pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs. If pitching is what a team must be built on to win the playoffs, the A’s were set.

But the loss of Cespedes had badly dented the A’s lineup, and they had struggled throughout the end of the season. In addition, the A’s themselves were damaged. Josh Donaldson was battling a plethora of injuries, and Brandon Moss was badly in need of hip surgery. Everyone else was banged up, but with two of the team’s best hitters struggling to play hurt, the A’s just wanted to eek out enough runs to win while Lester limited the damage done by the Royals.

Backup catcher Giovanny Soto started behind the dish. Designated hitter Adam Dunn was on the bench. Sam Fuld was in the lineup. Eric O’Flaherty and Craig Gentry weren’t on the playoff roster, but Hammel was.

The game started off well. The A’s scored a pair in the first thanks in part to a home run by Moss, and although Lester allowed three runs in the first three innings, the game was still within reach. A big sixth inning was capped off by yet another home run from Moss, who had apparently forgotten that he was injured.

But in the eighth inning, the mood shifted. The Royals scored three runs, two of which were charged to Lester and a third that was charged to Luke Gregerson. Gregerson escaped the inning with a 7-6 lead intact, but closer Sean Doolittle gave up the tying run in the ninth.

Headed into extra innings, the A’s were running short on players. Injuries were piling up, and their chance of winning was rapidly decreasing.

And then the 12th inning. The A’s took the lead, and everything seemed better.

For a few minutes, at least. First Dan Otero gave up the tying run, and then Hammel allowed the Royals to score one final time.

History was made. The Royals went on to the ALDS, then the ALCS – before finally losing to the Giants in the World Series.

An 8-9 Athletics’ loss in a game where the Royals stole seven bases in eight attempts – despite Moss having a pair of homers and five RBIs. Susan Slusser said it best, as she always does:

In 2015, the A’s didn’t even play well enough to go that far. Maybe next year.

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