Oakland A's 2024 And Beyond Dynasty
 

Introduction

I'm a newbie to baseball. I've never played the sport but my interest began when I first read the amazing book Moneyball a few years ago. Then, at the start of this year while browsing the app store I found there was iOOTP 14 that I could play on my iPad on my commute to work. It's been the only game I've played ever since.

I started this MLB Manager 2015 game in late March. It's an MLB quick start and I'm GM of the Oakland A's. Injuries and trading are enabled, player ratings are on a 1-10 scale, and overall/potential ratings are stars. I'm responsible for all roster moves and transactions, and setting lineup, depth charts and pitching staff. I watch every game on inning-by-inning quick play with my fictitious field manager (i.e. the computer AI) making all in-game decisions. Both leagues are set to have the designated hitter, purely to save me the faff of having to set four sets of depth charts and lineups.

This dynasty begins 9 seasons in, shortly before the start of the 2024 season. Thanks to reading the tips and advice of many contributors on this site, I feel that over the course of this save I've gotten better at this game. I started off a useless novice and am now I reckon, well, mediocre. This quick start game obviously started off with real MLB player names and the game generates new fictional players, but all personalities and all other characters in this fictitious account are purely my invention. So, how's it gone for the mighty A's over these 9 years? The chief baseball correspondent of the (fictitious) Oakland Telegraph will bring you up to date.

The Oakland Telegraph
1 March 2024
Extraordinary decade continues as world champion A's look to repeat
By Homer Run, chief baseball correspondent

It has been a quite remarkable decade for the Athletics. No longstanding fan will ever forget the turbulent 2015 pre-season when it all began. But we have column inches to fill here because no respectable company wants to waste their money on this newspaper's advertising space, so let's refresh your memory anyway. Stung by the defeat to Kansas City in the 2014 American League wildcard game, legendary GM Billy Beane reshaped his roster over the following off-season. But he shocked the baseball world when, just a fortnight before the regular season opener, he resigned, citing a desire to retire from the sport and open a duck sanctuary. And the club's foundations were shaken further the very next day when failed German-Korean businessman Ban-ki Rupt bought the franchise, but refused to inject new finance into the team. It didn't stop there. Rupt controversially turned to Beane's English fifth cousin once removed, Paulie Beane, to assume the general manager position. Fans and pundits alike predicted a dire 2015 season. TV commentator John Krukadoodledoo famously remarked, "The Oakland Raiders will win more games this year than the Oakland A's".

We all know it didn't quite pan out that way. Paulie Beane's small-market A's claimed the 2015 AL West title with a 91-71 record, before a sensational 11-3 postseason run made them World Champions. Many people credited that win not to Beane but to the experienced hand he appointed as field manager, Phil D'Manager. It was Billy Beane who built the roster, they said. It was D'Manager who utilised the playing talent astutely, they said. The alleged OOTP first season player boost had kicked in, they said. Look at that nice shiny World Series trophy on my office desk and eat my shorts, Paulie Beane said.

Athletics fans celebrated yet it was clear the jury was still out on Beane. And noises of discontent surfaced during the 2016 season as the A's put up a weak title defence, finishing tied for last in their division at 75-87. Beane himself admitted at one post-game press conference that he was new to being an MLB Manager and was learning on the job. During the subsequent postseason he really put his own stamp on the roster, trading away several ageing veterans and putting his faith in promising (and mercifully cheap, said Rupt) youngsters from his minor league roster, including first baseman Matt Olson, catcher Bruce Maxwell and shortstop Franklin Barreto. His moves bore fruit as the young guns went 85-77 to qualify for the American League wildcard game in 2017. Agonising defeat in the one-game shootout followed but that season's success firmly ensconced Beane in the GM's seat. Rupt said, "I also can't afford anyone else, frankly".

With the Texas Rangers dominating the AL West the next few years, Oakland endured some frustrating and mediocre seasons. They did reach the wildcard game again in 2020, only to lose, but it was during the following season that something seemed to click for Beane. After referring cryptically to "what posters on the forum advised" during a discussion with reporters, he noticeably started instructing D'Manager to platoon his batters in the lineup more, sought out groundball pitchers in trade and from the draft, and prioritised strong defense in the infield and up the middle. The biggest single turning point unarguably came at the 2021 trade deadline when he gave up starting pitcher Sonny Gray and all-star closer Sean Doolittle to acquire the National League Cy Young winning starting pitcher Jose Fernandez from the Miami Marlins. "I think it's hard to win in this game without a bona fide ace leading your rotation, and now we have one", beamed Beane.

Led by Fernandez, and with the likes of third baseman Jake Lamb and second baseman Jonathan Schoop heading up the offense, the following year, 2022, Beane's A's claimed their second divisional title as they finished the regular season with exactly 100 wins. Fernandez won the Cy Young Award. Riding that wave, they stormed to a 3-1 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, but fell short to a stirring comeback from centre fielder Yoan Moncada and the rest of Boston's brilliant offensive lineup.

But Oakland came back even better in 2023, smashing all comers with a 109-53 record to take the AL West by a full 20 games. They cruised to the American League Championship, setting up the so-called "Bay Bridge World Series" against San Francisco. The Giants were no match for the A's strangling, MLB-leading pitching and defense, going down 4-1. A vindicated Beane had his second World Series title. "It'll take the Raiders 15 years to match our 109 wins", he pointedly commented in the vague direction of the ESPN commentary booth. Face-of-the-franchise Fernandez won his second straight Cy Young award and third of his career.

Oakland looked all set to dominate Major League Baseball for a period, but with Rupt at the reins it is not quite so easy as all that. Beane has denied financial constraints were a factor, but over this last postseason key components of the title-winning side have been lost. The high-earning Lamb was traded for prospects, while Schoop left to free agency. The new batters Beane has acquired, second baseman Ozhaino Albies and centre fielder Keith Wilson, have not convinced the fans. As we approach the 2024 season, the question is, can Beane rebuild a world championship winning side - or like last time are we set for some disappointing years on the west coast?

The Oakland Telegraph
1 April 2024
World champions for now, but a repeat looks unlikely
With the new MLB season round the corner, our speculative pre-season predictions correspondent, Crystal Ball, gives her analysis of the 2024 Oakland A's.

Rotation: The A's pitching staff snuffed out most lineups last year and again looks exceptionally strong. Jose Fernandez (31/R/5*, 19-7, 2.59 in 2023) was the best player on the best team and looks destined for the Hall of Fame. He will be ably supported by lefties Eduardo Rodriguez (30/L/3.5*, 20-9, 3.15) and Rodney Stewart (26/L/3.5*, 15-8, 3.43, drafted 2015 rd 1 by LA Angels). Young Denny Miller (24/R/2.5*, 13-10, 4.19, drafted 2017 supp rd 1 by St. Louis) gained a surprise all-star call-up in his rookie season in 2022 but found life tougher last term and will be trying to bounce back. Bill Williams (25/R/3*, 4-4, 2.86, drafted 2016 supp rd 1 by Oakland) is indebted to his parents for his humorous name and has been promoted out of the bullpen.

Bullpen: Established closer Bernardo Lopez (28/R/3.5*, 7-3, 1.60, 47 SV, drafted 2017 rd 1 by Oakland) was stripped of the role in the run-in last year after going through a shaky spell, but Beane says he'll return as closer to start the title defence. Franyel Casadilla (27/R/4.5*, 6-2, 2.93) and flame-throwing youngster Eric Wright (22/L/5*, 3-3, 5.54, drafted 2021 rd 1 by Oakland) form the set-up pair. Veteran free agent signing from Texas in the off-season Luke Jackson (33/R/3.5*, 6-13, 5.91) and uber-prospect Karl Dickson (22/R/2.5*, 1-0, 1.63, drafted 2020 rd 1 by Miami) are pushing for rotation spots. Adam Ravenelle (30/R/3.5*, 0-0, 7.71) and Jimmie Sherfy (32/R/3.5*, 1-1, 1.29) complete the set. Oakland have pitching strength in depth with the likes of reliever prospect Jose Ceguera (23/L/4.5*, drafted 2022 rd 2 by Oakland) beginning the season in the minors.

Catcher: Beane likes strong defense in this position to help his pitchers and views any offense as a bit of a bonus. Which is lucky for former all-star Devon Fisher (27/R/2.5*, .267 OBP, 13 HR, 73 RBI). His defense is stellar and he gives the ball a right wallop when he makes contact. It's the making contact part he finds tricky. Elys Escobar (27/R/1.5*, .342, 8, 35) is a solid reserve with a good arm.

Infield: First baseman Matt Olson (30/L/3.5*, .339, 19, 85) has one of the best eyes in the game and walks more often than I have hot dinners. Second baseman Ozhaino Albies (27/R/2*, .364, 1, 57), signed in free agency this winter after 9 years in Atlanta to replace Jonathan Schoop, has less power than my grandma but gets on base well. Third base will be manned by Patrick Snel (25/L/3.5*, .349, 7, 45, drafted 2021 rd 1 by Baltimore), acquired from the Orioles midway through last season, who is one of several lightning quick roadrunners on the roster. Franklin Barreto (28/R/3*.309, 12, 71) was an all-star in 2020 and begins his ninth season as Oakland's starting shortstop. Versatile Rodrigo Mendez (27/R/1.5*, .254, 2, 11, drafted 2018 supp rd 1 by Oakland) and defensive specialist Mark Duncan (24/R/2.5*, .260, 2, 5, drafted 2021 rd 1 by Washington) are infield backups.

Outfield: Ed Ware (27/L/3*, .351, 19, 87, drafted 2019 supp rd 1 by Atlanta) claims to be a right fielder but is singularly useless in the position. He also couldn't hit lefty pitching if they threw at him from 600 feet away but takes the designated hitter spot against righties. Raimel Tapia (30/L/2*, .363, 10, 84) and Mookie Betts (31/R/3.5*, .396, 7, 71) are good contact hitters at left field and right field. Oakland signed centre fielder Keith Wilson (27/S/3.5*, .303, 22, 67, drafted 2018 rd 1 by LA Angels) from free agency over the winter but question marks hang over his defense. He homers a lot but sometimes struggles to get on base. He surely doesn't fit the typical Beane centre field profile of contact hitting and outstanding in the field. Jim Thompson (25/R/2.5*, .290, 11, 58, drafted 2020 rd 1 by Oakland) is like a walking baseball glove in the outfield and backs up all three spots.

In summary, my reading of the runes is that Oakland will again be league leaders in pitching and defense. But, I seriously doubt that they have the batting quality and power to give the men on the mound consistent run support, and they will get nowhere near last year's 109 wins. Low scoring, tense games could be commonplace at the Coliseum this year. Entertaining it won't be. It should be easy to get a ticket.

Glad to see I'm not alone on this forum,I will be following the franchise.

Good to see some new blood in the MLB Manager dynasties forum. Good luck, stay with it, and nice job so far. Consider me subscribed!

Oakland A's 2024 And Beyond Dynasty
 

Will be following!!

The Oakland Telegraph
2 April 2024
Editor thanks readers as circulation soars
By Eddie Tor, editor

Champagne corks were popping inside Telegraph Towers last night as newly released industry circulation figures showed the Oakland Telegraph's readership has risen to a whopping 3, up from 1 last month.

Beleaguered editor Eddie Tor issued a statement of thanks to his readers. "For too long we have been entirely subsidised by our parent company NoNews Inc.", his statement read, "but now we may be able to start to pay our way. I don't care how misleading a percentage it is, I am trumpeting that this represents a 200% increase. We love to receive comments and feedback from our readers, so thank you all. Knowing that actual people may be actually reading this encourages us to continue this project when we should be concentrating on doing our real jobs instead. I would be particularly keen for any advice on how to reduce the size of the pictures we print on our pages, which are taken from an iPad Air2."

The statement ended, "Now I stop to think about it, our previous readership of 1 must have been me. Meaning that not even our own correspondents have been buying our rag. Traitors. I'll be exploring this issue further with them at tomorrow morning's editorial conference."

The Oakland Telegraph
4 April 2024
Oakland and Paulie Beane: The art of winning an unfair game
By Wally Street, finance correspondent

There's no escaping it: they may be world champions but the 2024 Oakland A's are a small market team. The fanbase is small. The payroll budget is small. The owner's pockets are small to non-existent. Logic implies that their chances of success should be small.

As a finance journalist I'm contractually obliged to quote some numbers in my articles in an effort to show that I have some expertise in the subject and am not simply a failed political correspondent desperately trying to avoid getting a real job. So here goes. Oakland's budget for the coming season is rumoured to be $150m. It's not a pittance, admittedly. If this newspaper had a budget that size it might even occasionally contain some actual news. But it's dwarfed by some of Oakland's competitors. It currently puts the A's at the basement of Major League Baseball along with Tampa Bay and the Mets. Elsewhere in the American League, by contrast, the Yankees' budget is $250m, Boston's and Detroit's are $230m, and divisional rival Texas's is $240m. Over in the National League, the LA Dodgers and Washington Nationals have budgets of $280m and $270m respectively.

With the top players in today's game earning $20m-$30m or more per year, even with my dire maths skills I understand this means that the A's have a clear budget disadvantage. Their superstar pitcher Jose Fernandez is their biggest earner and will take home a wallet-bursting $22.5m this year. That's 15% of their payroll on just one player (subs, please enter percentage here for me, I can't work it out). So while Oakland can afford to have some star names on the roster, they can't match the spending power of their rivals. And skint owner Ban-ki Rupt is an economiser (although he was rather less prudent in his past business initiatives) who expects a small profit each year.

General manager Paulie Beane acknowledges the challenges, and is understood to currently have a player payroll for 2024 of about $138m. He has denied that the offseason departures of lineup stalwarts Jake Lamb and Jonathan Schoop were driven by financial constraints, but he surely would have kept them if he could have afforded to. Beane believes he does have one edge which allows him to be competitive, however. He says he manages the back office functions of Oakland's business personally. By contrast, the other 29 teams all slavishly use the calculations of a software package called "Computer AI" to dictate all their decisions. He has used that edge to build a title-winning side once. Now he is trying to use that edge to keep them there.

The Oakland Telegraph
9 April 2024
Halos Goodbye, as Oakland begin with win over the Angels
By O. Penningday, early season excitement correspondent

Paulie Beane's Oakland A's began the defence of their world title yesterday with a 3-1 win at divisional rivals LA Angels. The sights and sounds at Angels Stadium prior to the game were an assault on the senses, as enthusiastic fans of both teams celebrated the return of baseball, as yet undimmed by the inevitable cold hard reality of losing streaks and unmet expectations.

Jose Fernandez started as he left off last year, keeping the Angels lineup quiet through 8 innings for 5 hits and 1 earned run. Oakland went ahead to stay in the 5th when, in a totally out-of-character display of hitting power, right fielder Mookie Betts slashed a Braden Shipley fastball into the cheap seats.

Beane said, "No team in baseball has a better record than us right now. All we need to do is cling onto this for the next 161 games". He rebuffed suggestions that Oakland's mere 3 runs on 7 hits in total may be a portent of things to come.

The Oakland Telegraph
8 May 2024
Beane unmoved despite Oakland's offensive struggles
By Don T. Panik, levelheadedness correspondent

A's general manager Paulie Beane says he remains confident in his team's chances of defending their World Series crown, despite their worrying lack of offensive production so far this season. After yesterday's 7-3 loss to the Houston Astros, Oakland have now lost 6 of their last 7 and stand at 12-14, good enough for only 3rd place in the AL West. They have scored just 78 runs in those 26 games, exactly 3.0 per game, the lowest in the majors. The hit-shy lineup have achieved a pathetic 11 home runs so far.

Insiders say Beane is frustrated at the performance of many of his batters. Newcomer Keith Wilson has reportedly attracted Beane's ire with his pitiful .218 batting average and under-par defense in centre field. Outfielders Mookie Betts and Jim Thompson, along with catcher Devon Fisher, are all below the Mendoza line, swatting more flies during their plate appearances than baseballs. 33-year-old free agent third baseman Matt Duffy was recently signed to the active roster in place of demoted Mark Duncan but has yet to spark.

At today's post-match press conference Beane attempted to give an impression of unconcern. "It's a small sample of games", he said, "and the likes of Mookie Betts don't become bad players overnight. I'm confident he'll turn it around". Asked whether he felt similarly confident about Wilson turning it around, he said "That's all for today, guys" and stalked out.

The Oakland Telegraph
14 May 2024
Beane shuffles the pack in 4-for-3 trade with Cincinnati to acquire Holland, Torrens, Hamilton
By Ross Termoves, player trade correspondent

Less than a week after declaring his satisfaction with his roster, A's GM Paulie Beane has changed his mind and moved to strengthen his team's offensive production. Centre fielder Keith Wilson has been traded after just 27 games for Oakland, moving to Cincinnati along with designated hitter Ed Ware, reserve catcher Elys Escobar and minor league centre fielder Yodo Kobayashi. In return, the A's have acquired centre fielder Eddie Holland (26/L/5*, drafted 2019 rd 1 by Cincinnati), catcher Luis Torrens (28/R/1.5*) and BNN's #25 prospect, starting pitcher Nathan Hamilton (20/L/0.5*, drafted 2022 rd 1 by Cincinnati).

Holland combines terrific defense in the outfield with solid skills at the plate to fit exactly Beane's prototype for centre field. Former Yankees prospect Torrens will compete with Devon Fisher for the starting catcher role. Hamilton goes in the A's minor league squad.

Fan spokesperson O. Clandmad said he was disappointed that Ware had left, but understood that his .289 OBP and 1 HR in 108 at-bats this year was not justifying his $10m salary. Club sources claimed the trade was purely about strengthening the team and denied Wilson's departure was in any way connected with the paparazzi photographs of him engaged in unsavoury behaviour with a roll of duct tape and a chocolate cake which came to light two days ago.

The Oakland Telegraph
2 June 2024
Oakland take starlets Ellis and Cruz in the draft
By Y. R. U. Cryingnowforgoodnesssake, youth correspondent

The A's selected reliever Roy Ellis (21/L/2.5*) and left fielder Javier Cruz (21/L/1*) in the first round of yesterday's player draft. Oakland GM Paulie Beane took Ellis using the compensation pick from losing free agent Jonathan Schoop to Boston. Ellis adds to the posse of quality young bullpen lefties at the Coliseum and could see major league action before the season's end. Cruz is a power hitter with a cannon arm. Beane didn't pass comment on his later picks, merely saying to assembled reporters, "Let's face it, in this game the draft pool is so poor those guys picked after the first round will never trouble the active roster. I've already forgotten their names."

The Oakland Telegraph
14 June 2024
Guten Morgan! Josh joins A's in Beane's latest roster move, Gusman promoted
By May Curemindup, indecision correspondent

Three-time gold glove winning second baseman Josh Morgan (28/R/4.5*) has been acquired by Oakland in a trade with the Texas Rangers. The A's, who currently sit 2nd in the AL West at 31-29, have now traded away both their offseason free agent signings, with second baseman Ozhaino Albies the main piece moving the other way. Third baseman Mark Duncan and relief pitcher prospect Felix Moro have also moved to Texas as part of the deal. Former MLB #4 prospect infielder Alejandro Gusman (21/L/3.5* - drafted 2020 rd 1 by Baltimore), who arrived from the Orioles in the Jake Lamb trade, is promoted to Oakland's major league squad to replace Duncan.

Presenting Morgan to the waiting press corps yesterday, GM Paulie Beane denied that trading away both his winter major free agent signings, first Keith Wilson and now Albies, represented a failure of his recruitment practices. He said "Keith and Ozhaino were consummate professionals and we wish them all the best in the future. We think that Josh's awesome defense and good contact hitting will strengthen our lineup. Duncan was consistently rubbish for us, I must admit. He won't be missed." Although Oakland have now moved above .500 thanks to yesterday completing a 3-0 sweep of LA Angels, they have continued to struggle to score runs and this is believed to have driven Beane's latest move.

Beane also denied that his team's poor offensive production this year has led him to consider the future at the club of A's hitting coach Noah Hitter.

The Oakland Telegraph
16 July 2024
A's pitching strength shown by all-star call-ups
By Paul Star-Game, meaningless games correspondent

Paulie Beane was the first to congratulate Jose Fernandez, Denny Miller and Bernardo Lopez when news came through of their call-up to the American League team for the annual all-star game. "They've made some batters look silly at times this season, and I'm delighted their performances have been recognised."

This will be Fernandez's sixth all-star appearance, while for both Miller and Lopez it was their second call-up. The A's have led American League pitching for most of the year so far. In another fair reflection of Oakland's season, no batters were picked. 4-time American League MVP Mike Trout received his ninth call-up.

Beane's roster shake-ups earlier this season certainly appear to have worked, as they have been on a nice run and now sit atop the AL West division with a 49-39 record. Trout's dangerous LA Angels outfit are 3 games back.

The Oakland Telegraph
21 July 2024
Olson celebrates engagement with 3 homer, 10 RBI battering of the Astros
By Will Youmarryme, nuptials correspondent

First baseman Matt Olson won't forget yesterday in a hurry. In the morning he got engaged to his girlfriend, Ashley, after proposing while taking her out to a romantic lunch at Taco Bell on 4109th street. That clearly put him in a good frame of mind, as he followed that in the evening by blasting three home runs for 10 RBIs in Oakland's 16-1 drubbing of Houston.

Olson, affectionately known as "Mary-Kate" by his team-mates, homered in the 1st, 4th and 8th inning. The second was a grand slam. He also hit a double as he went 4-5 at the plate. He said, "I'm fairly confident I won't be getting much sleep tonight. What a day!"

Raimel Tapia also hit a home run and Rodney Stewart threw 8.1 scoreless innings in the blow-out win, which moves Oakland to 50-40.

The Oakland Telegraph
28 July 2024
Beane shuffles the pack once again
By Sly Tovhand, croupiers correspondent

Oakland general manager Paulie Beane has shuffled his pitching staff as he looks to keep the momentum going on their playoff charge. The A's have been in scintillating form since the all-star break, and have moved to a 55-41 record. Despite their recent run, Beane said that he worked out these moves in consultation with his pitching coach, Ace Onballs, as he feels the roster needs refreshing.

Former #2 prospect Karl Dickson has been promoted out of the bullpen into the #5 role in the rotation, with the inconsistent Bill Williams stepping down to reliever duties. Reliever Jimmie Sherfy has been hit for a dirty 16.20 ERA from an aggregate of 5 innings pitched, and is sent down to the minors. The 32-year-old looks to be finding it hard to overcome the torn rotator cuff injury which kept him out for most of last season. He will be a free agent at the end of this year and looks unlikely to put on an Oakland shirt again. Johnny Jackson (23/R/3*, drafted 2022 rd 3) takes his place in the pen. Meanwhile, Eric Wright, who was sent to the minors after a poor start to the year, returns in the place of the disappointing Jose Ceguera.

The Oakland Telegraph
1 September 2024
Lefty relievers Cao and Ellis called up by Oakland
By September Callups, roster expansion correspondent

June draft pick Roy Ellis has been fast-tracked to the majors by A's GM Paulie Beane. He has been added to the active roster as a September call-up to add a fresh young arm to Oakland's pen. Yi-ping Cao (29/L/4*, drafted 2016 supp rd 1 by Oakland) joins the roster for the second time this year.

Ellis said, "Hmm, to come from college ball to the MLB so quickly doesn't seem very realistic, but here I am". Australian power arm Cao has trouble with his control, but when he is able to successfully throw it in the general direction of opposing batters he is hard to get away.

Oakland are currently 76-52, and hold a 6 game lead over rivals Texas. Sources say Beane is hoping Cao will help the pen during his team's playoff push. However he is really only wanting to get a look at Ellis, and is expecting field manager Phil D'Manager to primarily use him in low leverage situations. Quite whether the famously independently-minded D'Manager will listen to him is another matter. "He uses that dratted 'Computer AI' software", explains Beane.

The Oakland Telegraph
23 September 2024
A's braced for nervous run-in after sweep by Texas
By X. I. Tingtimes, edge of the seat correspondent

Alliteration-happy pundits are predicting a frantic and frenetic final fortnight to the regular season for the Oakland A's after the Texas Rangers yesterday completed a 3-0 series sweep over their divisional rivals. The A's now stand at 84-65, and hold a 4.5 game advantage over the 80-70 Rangers. They are on a 2-7 slide and need to reserve that trend rapidly if they are to hold onto their lead and claim a third straight American League West title.

However, Oakland look likely to at least claim a spot in the AL wildcard game if they do get overhauled by Texas, as they hold a 7.5 game advantage over third-best wildcard team Detroit. Given their 0-2 record in the wildcard game under GM Paulie Beane, they will certainly be hoping to avoid that lottery. Beane's outspoken comments about the wildcard game probably don't help. After their loss in 2020, he was quoted as saying, "It's ridiculous that a 162-game season can be undone by a single game shootout. Let's just do rock, paper, scissors to pick the winner and save everyone the bother."

The Oakland Telegraph
8 October 2024
Choke-land blow lead and slip into wildcard game; but joy for Fernandez as he wins AL pitching triple crown
By I. Don Believeit, crushing disappointment correspondent

Oakland GM Paulie Beane was left speechless. His team headed into the final week of the regular season with a 3.5 game lead over the chasing Texas Rangers in the American League West division. But, just when they needed it most, Oakland's superb pitching fell apart. The A's stumbled to the finish, going 2-5 in the final week, including a 4-game sweep by Seattle to conclude their schedule. Meanwhile, the on-rushing Rangers ended the season on a stunning 14-2 run to tie with Oakland atop the division with a 90-72 record.

Yesterday's hastily-arranged playoff between the two sides would determine who would win the division and who would drop into the wildcard game. The momentum by now was firmly with Texas, and it came as no surprise when they won at a canter, 12-7, with first baseman Cheong-u Kim hitting for the cycle.

At the post-game press conference a visibly stunned Beane could only answer "...er..." to the first 30 questions from reporters. After draining an eighth glass of whisky, he finally mustered "I wanna sodding throw my sodding iPad out the sodding window" before staggering off. Loud retching noises were then heard emanating from a nearby toilet as the press corps shuffled out of the room. Oakland's pitching staff also need to sober up, fast. Tomorrow's wildcard game is against the Chicago White Sox.

There was some consolation for the A's, however, as superstar pitcher Jose Fernandez won the American League triple crown. The 32-year-old was not quite as devastating as in the previous couple of seasons, but his 18-7 record, 252 strikeouts and 2.73 ERA were enough to top the AL in all three categories. He is surely a shoo-in to notch his third consecutive Cy Young award. Beane was, I'm told, in no fit state to congratulate him.

The final playoff picture is as follows.

American League
AL East winners: Minnesota (93-69)
AL Central winners: Toronto (94-68)
AL West winners: Texas (90-72)
Wild cards: Chicago White Sox (92-70), Oakland (90-72)

National League
NL East winners: Atlanta (97-65)
NL Central winners: Cincinnati (79-83)
NL West winners: Arizona (93-69)
Wild cards: Philadelphia (93-69), San Francisco (90-72)