OAKLAND -- The A's bested the Yankees in the first installment of a potential Wild Card Game preview Monday afternoon.
Trevor Cahill wasn't his sharpest in the early goings, but neither was his counterpart, and the A's took advantage, tagging CC Sabathia for five runs (four earned) in 3 1/3 innings in a crucial 6-3 win at the Coliseum, which pulled the A's within 3 1/2 games of the Yankees for the top American League Wild Card spot. Home-field advantage for the Oct. 3 winner-take-all game is at stake.
Oakland is riding a banged-up rotation through September, while the Yankees are operating without key lineup contributors Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius, the heart of their order consisting of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar these days.