The Houston Astros are feeling cocky after getting past the Twins. Manager Dusty Baker has even given the Oakland A’s some bulletin board material.
We all have the matchup we wanted, just a round later than expected. In order for the Oakland A’s to truly claim to be the dominant team in the AL West, they need to get past the Houston Astros. While that had been the anticipated first round matchup for weeks, it has instead happened during the ALDS.
Meanwhile, the Astros are feeling confident in themselves. They are feeling so confident that manager Dusty Baker has provided some bulletin board material for the A’s.
Astros manager Dusty Baker on the A's:
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 3, 2020
"They said they wanted us anyway, so you just have to be careful what you ask for."
History notwithstanding, it makes sense that the A’s would have wanted to face the Astros. Houston did end the year with a 29-31 record, and their pitching staff has been not been what it was in past years. The A’s also had a 7-3 record against Houston this year which furthers the logic of wanting to face the Astros.
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But the reasons go far beyond the A’s success against Houston this year. They are rooted in the previous three years and AstroGate. Without that cheating, one has to wonder if the A’s would have been able to claim a division title, avoiding the one-and-done nature of the Wild Card Game.
And there is plenty of bad blood because of it. Mike Fiers, after all, put the spotlight on the Astros cheating scandal, although it was after he fell victim to the banging trashcans. Ramon Laureano had seemingly been targeted by Houston, being hit numerous times before having enough and eventually charging Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron following an exchange of pleasantries.
Frankly, the season would not have felt complete without the A’s and Astros facing off in the postseason. Houston is desperate to retain their crown, to say that their record and struggles were due to their incredible myriad of injuries instead of how much cheating helped. The A’s, meanwhile, need to slay this dragon once and for all to be able to claim that 2020 was a success.
The Oakland A’s already had plenty of motivation to take down the Houston Astros. Thanks to Dusty Baker, they now have something for their bulletin board as well.