The innings Billy Beane regrets

The A's have had three terrific runs since arriving in Oakland before the 1968 season.

The first saw the A's win five straight division titles between 1971 and 1975 and became the first team not called the Yankees to win three straight World Series.

Tony LaRussa's squad was almost as formidable, winning 3 straight pennants between 1988 and 1990 and winning the 1989 title. They also won the division in 1992.

Most recently and least likely of all was the Billy Beane run where the A's made the playoffs every year from 2000 to 2003 and then again in 2006.

But the most recent group not only never won a title, but could only win one series, which must be crushing to a franchise that has strangely expected championships.

Since the run is probably winding down and the A's fighting to stay out of the cellar, I must do for Billy Beane what I did for Bobby Cox and find the innings that stand out in an era that came sooooo close.


2000 Division Series Game 5, Top 1st.
The A's had won game 4 in New York with an 11-1 thrashing of Roger Clemens. The teams had to fly cross country that night to play a winner take all 5th game in Oakland. The Yankees seemed to have crushed any hopes of the A's winning by smacking Gil Heredia and reliever Jeff Tam for 6 runs before the A's even came to bat. The A's rallied to make it 7-5 after 4... but both teams were shutout the rest of the game and the Yankees advanced, leaving the A's to what would have happened if they put a goose egg up on the board in the first.


2001 Division Series Game 3, Bottom 7th
The 102 win A's were on the verge of sweeping the 95 win Yankees. Trailing 1-0 in the 7th with 2 outs and none on, Jeremy Giambi singled to right. Terrence Long then doubled to the rightfield corner and Shane Spencer's throw home was off target, seemingly tying the game. But we've all seen the clip of Derek Jeter coming out of nowhere relaying the throw back to Posada and getting Giambi standing. Which question is more mysterious? Why was Jeter there or why didn't Giambi slide?

The Yankees would win the game and the next two games to win the series.

2002 Division Series Game 5, Top 9th
The 2002 Oakland A's were the team to beat in the 2002 playoffs. They match the Yankees 103 wins for the best in baseball and had a 20 game winning streak in August to pull away from the Angels. The A's took a 5-1 second inning lead against the overmatched Twins in game one, but the Twins stunningly came back to win the game. The A's responded by winning games 2 and 3 easily. The Twins won game 4 sending the series back to Oakland. When the Angels stunned the Yankees in 4 games, Oakland seemed to have a clear path to the World Series if they won game 5.

The game was 2-1 Twins going into the 9th. A. J. Pierzynski hit a 2 run homer and pre Red Sox David Ortiz drove in 2 more with a double making the game 5-1, Minnesota. Each run would come back to haunt the A's as Mark Ellis hit a bottom of the 9th 3 run homer to make it a 5-4 loss instead of a 4-2 series win.

2003 Division Series Game 5, Bottom 9th

An underrated series that both the Red Sox and the A's seemed hellbent to lose. Game 1 had the Red Sox blowing a lead with 2 outs in the 9th and losing in 12 on a bunt by the A's catcher. In game 3, during my wedding, Eric Byrnes forgot to touch home plate and Miguel Tejada interfered with Bill Meuller rounding third. If either of those runs scored, the A's would have swept. Instead the Red Sox won on Trot Nixon's extra inning homer. Keith Foulke coughed up an 8th inning lead for the A's in game 4 sending it to a wild and underrated game 5.

Pedro Martinez and Barry Zito dueled until a slumping Manny Ramirez hit a 3 run homer to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead.

The A's cut it to 4-3 and in the 9th, closer Scott Williamson walked the first two Oakland batters. My wife, who had been married to me only 2 days, said "I'm so sorry honey" as it was obvious they were losing. Even more so when Ramon Hernandez put down his second bunt of the series... this one putting the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Derek Lowe came in to try and close (a role he flourished in during the 2000 season but flopped in 2001).

Shockingly manager Ken Macha lifted veteran Jermaine Dye for a rookie Adam Melhuse, who struck out looking. Lowe walked the next batter loading the bases and faced Terrence Long. He too looked at a called third strike ending one of the most underrated 9th innings in playoff history.

2006 ALCS Game 1, Top 3rd

The A's finally got past the Division Series and with Barry Zito on the mound at home, fresh off of his defeat of Johan Santana, the A's seemed ready to win their first pennant for Billy Beane.

With two outs and nobody on in the 3rd, Zito seemed ready to have another stellar outing... when Brandon Inge homered. And suddenly and shockingly the wheels came off of Zito. After the homer he let up a double, then walked the bases full and let up another run.

The A's couldn't score despite putting 2 men on in the bottom of the 3rd and Pudge Rodriguez homered to lead off the 4th.

Zito wouldn't make it out of the 4th inning, leaving with a 5-0 hole that the A's couldn't climb out of. The Tigers would sweep the series, ending on Magglio Ordonez's 3 run homer in the bottom of the 9th in game 4.

But it was that third inning that changed the series. Had Zito made it through that inning, who knows? Perhaps he dominates game 1 and game 5. Maybe the A's win that allusive pennant for Billy Beane. All I know is the A's pennant hopes lived and died with Zito. And in game 1 they died.


Pitchers getting bombed early, players not sliding, late rallies squashed, home plates missed... a lot of frustration for a GM who has turned a moribund franchise with a bad stadium and a worse TV deal into perennial contenders.

If only Jeremy Giambi slid.