OAKLAND — As the Oakland A’s rolled through series after series en route to a second consecutive 97-win season, it felt like an endless summer for manager Bob Melvin.
Baseball’s longest-tenured manager is celebrated for his ability to do more with less and as the A’s raced toward the playoffs this year, time practically stood still for a team that proved its 2018 season was no fluke.
But when the Tampa Bay Rays arrived in Oakland and landed a crushing jab to the A’s jawbone on Wednesday, the clock began to tick.