The Oakland Athletics are finally on the cusp of a new era. Not only have they overcome their past struggles, but now they have a steady plan to try and take home a World Series championship.
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Before last year, Oakland A’s fans held tightly to their memories of the 1970s and early 2000s. In the former, the A’s brought home three consecutive World Series trophies and became on of the most fondly remembered teams for their intricate uniforms and unique facial hair. While the 1980s brought three pennants and three rookies of the year, they never found a spot in the consciousness of A’s fans.
Instead, fans focused on the years that began in 1996 and continued well into the 2000s. The A’s home stadium, the Coliseum, underwent an $83 million facelift to accommodate the Oakland Raiders returning to the stadium. The A’s brought on Billy Beane as general manager in 1997 and he undertook some of the most complicated teams to build in baseball history. His unique scouting and the underdog success of the A’s would be immortalized in a book and a film titled Moneyball.
While the A’s spent close to a decade jumping up and down the standings of the AL, they finally bottomed out in 2015. The A’s would finish in last place in 2015, 2016 and 2017, losing more than 90 games in the first two years. But 2018 was a resurgence for the club. Oakland surprised the American League, won 97 games and made it to the playoffs as a wild card team. Longtime manager Bob Melvin was named AL Manager of the Year. In a move that bucks Moneyball era trends, Beane re-signed slugger Khris “Crush” Davis to a contract extension.
The team also has two potential stars in pitcher Frankie Montas, who currently has an earned run average of 2.97 and shortstop Marcus Semien, with an on-base percentage of .400. Matt Chapman is hoping to repeat his 24-homer 2018 campaign.
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On April 30 and May 1, the A’s will take on the defending World series champion Boston Red Sox. While Boston carries a roster with some of the biggest names in sports, they’ve struggled heavily to start off the season. Tickets for that matchup start at $6 on StubHub.
Then, on May 3, Oakland will head down to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates. While the Pirates hope to win the NL Central, the A’s will try to shoot down their chances. With three giveaway games, even if the A’s lose, you’ll walk away with a treat. And don’t expect the A’s to, they’ll be the favorites in the matchups. Ticket prices start at $12 and go beyond $98.
On May 7, Oakland will take on another NL Central foe, this time only at home. The Cincinnati Reds, the only team in the division with a worse record than the Pirates, will head out to the Bay Area and hope to squeak out a win. Tickets for that series start at just $7.
Here’s the A’s schedule for the month of May:
5/1 – VS Boston Red Sox
5/3 – @ Pittsburgh Pirates
5/4 – @ Pittsburgh Pirates
5/5 – @ Pittsburgh Pirates
5/7 – VS Cincinnati Reds
5/8 – VS Cincinnati Reds
5/9 – VS Cincinnati Reds
5/10 – VS Cleveland Indians
5/11 – VS Cleveland Indians
5/12 – VS Cleveland Indians
5/13 – @ Seattle Mariners
5/14 – @ Seattle Mariners
5/16 – @ Detroit Tigers
5/17 – @ Detroit Tigers
5/18 – @ Detroit Tigers
5/19 – @ Detroit Tigers
5/20 – @ Cleveland Indians
5/21 – @ Cleveland Indians
5/22 – @ Cleveland Indians
5/24 – VS Seattle Mariners
5/25 – VS Seattle Mariners
5/26 – VS Seattle Mariners
5/27 – VS Los Angeles Angels
5/28 – VS Los Angeles Angels
5/29 – VS Los Angeles Angels
5/31 – VS Houston Astros
