Thursday night marked the end of my season when the Oakland Athletics were eliminated from the post season by the Detroit Tigers. They lost 3-0 in Game Five, for the second year in a row. I was there last year, and I was there on Thursday. It was a painful and felt like deja vu. Last year, after we lost Game 5, all of the fans stayed and cheered “Let’s Go Oakland” and it was beautiful and moving. This year, it happened again, but I didn’t stay. I couldn’t do it. I stood at my seat last year tearful cheering for my team that had proved everybody wrong and shut up all the nay-sayers. This year, they proved they weren’t just a fluke last year and fought the Boston Red Sox for the best record in the American League. It was supposed to be our year. To see it end that way, again, was just too much. I sat in the car on the way home in shock of what just happened. It felt like somebody had died, and somebody did- our season. Our hopes of shutting up the Giants fans that were rooting for the Tigers, the Giants fans that dismiss the A’s as a second-rate team, and the baseball analyst that will always pick the Angels and Rangers over the A’s, saying they have no chance. This team looked like the one.
Then the post season came.
I wanted the best record for two reasons: to say we had the best record, and to avoid playing the Tigers. I have now been to three post seasons, and have seen our post season dreams end with losses to the Tigers all three times. I thought this year would be our chance, especially the way the month of September went. The A’s played well, including a four game sweep of the Minnesota Twins to clinch the division. The Tigers, on the other hand, finished their season one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians and were swept by the Miami Marlins, including being no-hit in the final game of the regular season. The odds were in the A’s favor. However, the baseball gods thought otherwise. The bats of the A’s players were silent against the Tigers dominate pitching, producing K after K. I don’t agree with a lot of the strike calls that were made, and I can only hope that MLB is finally going to do something about that. My point with that is when the umpire gives one pitcher a large strike zone and the batter is forced to swing at pitches they normally wouldn’t, it’s an issue. That and having two different strike zones is not OK.
Last year, Game 4 was the best playoff game that I have ever seen in my life. You couldn’t script a better ending to a game fi you tried. Coco Crisp had the walk off hit that won that game, and the place when nuts. I would have said that nothing could ever top that. Game 2, however, did. Sonny Gray, the A’s rookie pitcher, got the start against Justin Verlander. Most people would think the A’s were stupid to start a rookie pitcher against Verlander, but they were wrong. Sonny Gray showed the nation what we in Oakland already knew, that he is AMAZING. Gray matched Verlander zero for zero on the board the whole game. He dominated and it was a beautiful sight. He deserved a win for the game he pitched, and while he didn’t get the win, the team did. The bottom of the 9th was going to be special. You could feel it in the air. The crowd of 48,000+ was cheering and waiting for a walk off. Yoenis Cespedes came to the plate, and I was hoping for another bomb, but I took the base hit. Seth Smith followed that with another base hit. The crowd was going crazy. Then the Tigers walked Josh Reddick, who had been struggling badly, to load the bases. Enter the hero of the night, Stephen Vogt. I was there when Vogt got his first hit, a home run, against the St. Louis Cardinals, but this single was far better than the homer. Vogt just singled home the only run of the game to win the game. My dad, who was sitting next to me, complained that he thought he was deaf in one ear from my screaming, and my throat was killing me the next day. Signs of a good game.
I had some great memories this season that I will never forget. Opening Day, making new friends on Twitter (one of the best parts), traveling to see the A’s around the country, watching them clinch that final Sunday at home, and watching them in the post season. Sure, the season didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but it was a great season. Plus, we were lucky enough to make it to the post season. There were fans from 22 other teams that didn’t get to watch their team in the playoffs.
I can’t wait for 2014.
The Oakland A’s rush onto the field after Stephen Vogt singles home the winning run in Game 2 of the ALDS
Out of Left Field 
The baseball season is like no other sport’s. From the appropriate early green and hope of spring to the falling leaves and-let’s-finish-the post-season- before- the bad-weather-comes feeling. Completing another mini chapter of our lives leaves us with a real sense of having spent a lot of time with family, not just for the teams we root for, but for the MLB in general.
You experienced a painful and unexpected repeat of recent seasons. I believe in the Athletic way and thought this was the year, too. At least, I received my wish for the home team (Dusty’s gone). I also have pulled for Cleveland, as well, since 1981. There was real progress there. Agreeing with you, looking forward to 2014! — Tony
You had a double whammy there. I was so proud of the Indians this year! They were much better than anybody gave them credit for, and I was really hoping they could knock out the Tigers for the division- they almost did too. I like Dusty, but he’s not the best at managing in pressure situations.