It was only a year ago that the New York Yankees hosted the Oakland Athletics, Bronx-bombing them 7-2. And who could forget the A’s wild-card collapse in Kansas City against the Royals in 2014? God knows I can’t.
I’m not here to say that these A’s are any different than those of 2018 or 2014 — that they’re somehow impervious to the franchise’s spotty history in elimination games. These A’s, like so many of their earlier iterations, weren’t expected to be here this late.
They’re no Island of Misfit Toys, but they’re still unknown to most, grinding away when no-one was watching.