With the 2020 schedule set at 60 games, let us take a look back at the Oakland A’s best record over a 60 game span over the past 20 years.
Throughout their franchise history, the Oakland A’s have found success. Despite budgetary limitations that have seemingly existed since the franchise began, they have made 28 playoff appearances, capturing 15 American League pennants and winning the World Series nine times. They are a franchise used to success, one with a proud history over their 120 years.
Even though the 21st century has not been as successful in the postseason, the A’s have still typically been playoff contenders. They have reached the playoffs ten times in that span, finishing over .500 13 times.
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Considering that success, it would not be surprising for the A’s to have several stellar performances over the past two decades. That was the case between July 27 and October 7 in 2001, when the A’s posted a 48-12 record. That year, the A’s posted a 102-60 record, easily reaching the postseason.
Somehow, despite that excellent performance, the A’s finished 14 games out of first place in the AL West that year. The Mariners won 116 games that year, a major league record, but still came up short in the postseason, falling to the Yankees in the ALCS. Oakland had fallen to the Yankees in five games the round before, with the infamous Derek Jeter flip changing the complexion of the series.
That Athletics team was quite talented. The Big Three of Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito were at the top of their game. MVP candidate Jason Giambi anchored an excellent lineup that also featured Johnny Damon, Eric Chavez, and Miguel Tejada. And yet, perhaps due to one play, the A’s were unable to advance in the playoffs.
It is also interesting that this stretch did not occur in 2002. The infamous MoneyBall year saw the A’s not only post a 103-59 record en route to winning the AL West, but also included a 20 game winning streak. Yet, the A’s finished the season on a 44-16 run even with that winning streak, four games worse than their best mark the year before.
Here’s hoping that the Oakland A’s can replicate that run in 2001, and cruise to the postseason in the upcoming 2020 campaign.