The best thing that can be said about the A’s September is that it’s over. It was a nightmare to live through, though.
The A’s went 8-19 for the month, the worst month of a bad season for Oakland – 9-14 in April, 11-19 in May, 15-12 in June, 10-14 in July and 13-15 in August. It was the third-worst September in A’s history after 1978’s 7-20 and 1985’s 8-20.
Most of the trouble rested on the arms of the pitching. The A’s 6.73 ERA for the month not only was the worst September ERA in A’s history, it was the worst single month of pitching in the almost half-century the A’s have called Oakland home.