OAKLAND — It’s not often you see an entire team come out of the dugout and await a middle reliever for a hero’s welcome, but that was the scene at the Coliseum when Ryan Buchter walked back to the A’s dugout after retiring Brett Gardner to end a threat the seventh. And when Jeurys Familia struck out Gary Sánchez to end a threat in the eighth. That’s all you need to know about the type of atmosphere surrounding this series.
The A’s always seem to amp up their play when the Yankees come to town, but there’s something extra about this September matchup.