 The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland , California . The team is often called the A's. The team was founded in the year 1901. The Oakland Athletics have been known as Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1954), Kansas City Athletics (1955-1966). The session 1968 was the first regular season in 46 years as they won their first season after 16 years with a record of 82-80. After another second-place finish in 1970, the A's won the A.L. West title in 1971, only to lose to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. The Athletics won World Series championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Oakland won five consecutive division titles from1971 to 1975.
Despite the distraction of near trades the Athletics managed to challenge for their 6th consecutive AL West title. In the end they finished the season 1976 in 2nd place with 87-74 record, however they were only two and a half games behind the Kansas City Royals. From 1976 through 1987, the Oakland played in only one postseason series, in 1981. Martin made believers of his young charges, “Billyball” was used to market the team, and the Athletics finished second in 1980. Rickey Henderson stole his 130th base in 1982 to break the single-season stolen base record held by Lou Brock. Under the Haas ownership, the minor league system was rebuilt, which bore completion later that decade as Athletics José Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987) and Walt Weiss (1988) were chosen as A.L. Rookies of the Year. During the 1986 season, Tony La Russa was hired as the Athletics' manager, a post he held until the end of 1995. In 1988 the Athletics posted a 104-58 record cruised to the Western Division Championship. Starring on those teams were 1987 AL rookie of the year first baseman Mark McGwire, 1988 AL MVP outfielder José Canseco, and 1990 AL MVP and steals leader Henderson. From 1988 to 1992 the Athletics won four division crowns, three AL pennants, and a World Series title under manager Tony LaRussa.
Anchoring the pitching staff were 1992 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Dennis Eckersley and four-time 20-game winner Dave Stewart. From 1992 to 1993 the club went from first to last in the West Division, and it continued to struggle through much of the mid and late 1990s. A group of young players led by 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi brought Oakland back, and the team won the AL West in 2000. With the sixt h lowest payroll in baseball in 2002, the Oakland Athletics won an American League best 103 games. Pitcher Huston Street was voted the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 2005, the second year in a row an Athletic won that award, shortstop Bobby Crosby having won in 2004. The team won 15 AL Pennant in 1902, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1989, 1990. The Athletics have won nine World Series Championships (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989), have won thirteen American West Division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003) and have one Wild Card (2001, AL). |
