The A’s did something on Wednesday that hadn’t been done before in the history of MLB. They somehow put all the pieces together to come back from 5 games back with 9 games to play to dethrone Texas and win the AL West. They’ve been absolutely unstoppable since the All-Star break and will now face Detroit for an opportunity to move one step closer to winning it all.
Okay, now that the basics are out of the way, let’s talk about how awesome this past season has been for the A’s and their fans. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for almost my entire life and have been a fan of the A’s for almost as long, but I’ve never witnessed a season like this one. This A’s began their journey in Tokyo and after the first week of play had come to a conclusion I was fairly certain that the A’s best case scenario would be something like 74-88. They didn’t have a true first baseman, their third baseman was really a catcher in disguise, everyone was convinced that Cespedes couldn’t hit for average and it looked like the pitching staff could fall apart at any moment. Well, I was wrong…way, way wrong.
This is the year that one team from Oakland proved that anything could happen and Wednesday’s game was a perfect example of that. The A’s chances of winning the West seemed incredibly slim when they went down 5-1 to the Rangers, but then the A’s did what they’ve been doing all season. They dug down, looked adversity right in the eye, and said “Nah, not today.” The A’s not only beat the Rangers after going down 5-1, they crushed them. This is not what a team filled with rookies, aging vets, and cast-offs is supposed to do.
I’ve said this before, but I have no idea how this team will finish. They could win it all or they could wake up and end this dream season in nightmare fashion. I know two things for sure. I’ll be glued to the TV watching every second of this playoff run and I’ll never forget that the season of 2012 proved that anything can happen if you believe. And, I’m also pretty sure that I’ll never forget the look of seeing Balfour close out the ninth of any game. That guy is an absolute warrior and makes for fantastic television. Go A’s!
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