No matter how Wednesday’s game goes, I am beyond happy and proud. So many years, I have written season recaps of season that ended too soon and in heartbreak. I am fully prepared to do that again, but until that moment comes, I am enjoying every single second.
The 2018 Oakland Athletics defied everything and everybody. The team that nobody expected to finish over .500 or out of last place were battling the New York Yankees for the top Wild Card spot going into the final weekend of the season. As I sat there Monday night constantly refreshing the score of the Yankees Rays game as the A’s game got underway in Seattle, I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. FINAL. I screamed “YES!” as tears ran down my face. The Oakland Athletics had clinched a playoff spot. As Blake Treinen locked down another save to seal the win for the team, the tears came once more. Watching this team all year has been a great ride, and to see them get to celebrate was amazing. I still am at a loss for words to describe the emotions I felt that night as I sat in front of my tv for hours watching this group of men celebrate. They did it. They proved everybody wrong and for that moment, silenced the doubters.
I remember vividly on May 24th while participating in the Oakland A’s Game Night at plank, Danny Coulombe telling me and my fellow bowlers that this team was going to the playoffs this season. “This season?” we asked. In extreme confidence, he repeated it. I had my doubts, but watching the players interact with each other that night showed me a different side. In all my years watching this team, I had never seen a bond between teammates like this.
This team has been different. They never gave up. It didn’t matter if they were down; they were still competing like it was a one run game. That fight finally started to turn into wins, and good things happened. There have been so many moments this season that are incredible for different reasons. The moments that made you cry; Piscotty’s first at bat at the coliseum after his mother passed in May and his home run in Boston after returning from leave. The moments that make you jump up and down in pure excitement; Manaea’s no hitter against the red hot Red Sox, the epic comeback in Texas against the Rangers, Melvin lifting the Battle of the Bay trophy up, and clinching in Seattle. There have been so many other moments along the way that made this team and season so incredible.
No matter what happens on Wednesday night, whether in New York or Oakland, I am so proud to be an Oakland A’s fan.
Out of Left Field 