A's collapse, blow five-run lead in the ninth inning for the first time in 55 years

What a weekend for the history books of the Oakland Athletics, who were seemingly determined to pack them full of new entries. After losing the first two games of their series against Washington, the A's dropped a third consecutive game 8-7 and got swept in the nation's capital.

I could tell you about a lot of things, but I will tell you about how the A's lost a game in a way that you find it hard not to believe it was done on purpose.

Oakland entered the final inning leading 7-1. Yes, that is seven runs scored, only one allowed. Again, entering the bottom half of the final inning of the game, one that they had led from the very start as they got things going in the first frame putting up three early runs on the scoreboard.

All it took the A's to put themselves ahead was an out, five pitches, and one extraordinary Zack Gelof homer. And that was only just the start because the best (until the ninth, that is) was yet to come.

Gelof would go on to log his first four-hit game since joining the Athletics and the majors. The only thing the kid didn't accomplish yesterday was getting a base on balls.

Hits, runs, and everything will keep going the A's way. For eight innings and more than 100 minutes, Oakland felt unstoppable and the most separated thing from the actual 33-84 team they were ahead of this game.

Too bad for me, they were looking at a 33-85 record by the end of Sunday.

The Natties straight-punked the Athletics with a savage ninth inning.

Not in the 55-year history of the A's since they relocated to the East Bay had they surrendered a five-run, ninth-inning lead, according to research by The Mercury News.

The same outlet also found out that the A's have fallen 52 games under .500 for the first time since 1979 when they were 54-108 by the end of that season. Sheesh, the numbers.

It's the seventh consecutive game the A's have lost on the road of late. It's their 16th sweep of the season. They are on the verge of getting swept for a franchise-record 17th time if they don't avoid such a fate in the remaining series of the 2023 campaign. Easy money.

The A's face the St. Louis Cardinals on the road next, starting with an opener on Monday and the final game scheduled for Wednesday. Keep praying, folks, the lads will need it.

More Oakland A's News