Oakland Athletics: The Athletics’ All-Time 25-Man Roster
Relief Pitcher #5: Jay Howell
Jay Howell made his debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1980, then spent the rest of his 15 seasons with a variety of other teams: the Cubs, the Yankees, the A’s, the Dodgers, the Braves, and finally, the Rangers. Howell’s tenure with the Athletics lasted three years, from 1985 to 1987.
Although Howell never won the World Series with the A’s, he did pick up a Championship ring while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also a three-time All-Star, including twice during his stint in Oakland.
During his era, Howell was one of the better closers in the game. His 155 saves – 61 of which came in an Athletics uniform – and career 3.34 ERA make him a solid choice to be one of the Athletics’ all-time relievers. He also struck out 666 batters during his career.
Howell’s real claim to fame, however, came in the third game of the 1988 NLCS, when the right-hander was ejected for having pine tar in his glove while on the mound. The infraction resulted in a three-game suspension, but the Dodgers won the World Series anyway, so it’s hard to imagine that Howell cared much about getting caught.
Runner-Up: Grant Balfour
The main reason – well, honestly it’s the only legitimate reason – that Grant Balfour makes this list is because he holds the Athletics’ franchise record for the most consecutive saves, after converting 44 save chances in a row. He signed with the A’s in 2011, after seven seasons in and out of the major leagues with Minnesota, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay. After joining Oakland, Balfour had three consecutive seasons of success, posting a 2.53 ERA and striking out 203 batters over his three years of work. In less-important reasons to make him the runner-up, he’s semi-responsible for the right-field fans’ recent national notoriety. That’s worth something, right?
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As always, feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments below. This list was compiled via a staff vote, so even among the writers, there were plenty of differing opinions on who belonged on the All-Time roster. We’d love to hear yours, too.