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| [ PHOTO: THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS ] |
September 25, 2018
Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle
SEATTLE - Oakland, one of the more unlikely success stories in recent seasons, blew a chance to clinch a playoff spot at home Sunday but on Monday wound up in the postseason for the first time since 2014 thanks to Tampa Bay’s loss to the Yankees.
Oakland finished in last place in each of the previous three seasons and was not expected to finish higher than third in the AL West in 2018, with most experts figuring the A’s for a .500 team at best.
“We’ve had some younger players mature and become, for me, stars,” manager Bob Melvin said before Monday’s game, adding of third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson, “I think the two guys on the corner should win Gold Gloves. Our bullpen has been fortified and that’s been a strength for us all year. Our defense is night and day from what it was and has gotten better as the year’s gone along. We don’t rely on just one facet, we seem to be able to win in different ways, which hasn’t been the case the last three years.”
