The Oakland Athletics have had one of the worst seasons in recent memory.
At 9-31, they have the worst record in MLB and it’s not even close.
Their owner wants to move the franchise to Las Vegas and there are concrete plans to do so before 2027.
Their stadium is one of the oldest in the league, and they rarely draw crowds larger than 5,000.
Yet, for a night, the magic of the old days returned to Oakland.
For a game, they were able to take down the 23-15 Texas Rangers, leaders of the AL West division.
It happened on Friday night, and they did it with a walk-off home run by Brent Rooker.
MLB's OPS leader strikes again. #Walkoff pic.twitter.com/jf8RZxHUqH
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2023
Could you see the last-place A’s having the league leader in OPS?
Yes, that’s Rooker.
With the A’s down a run in the bottom of the tenth, Rooker sent one out over the fence and gave his team a 9-7 victory.
Rooker now has a 1.100 OPS and a 203 wRC+ (100 is the average offensive performance).
Both figures lead the league.
A former first-round draft pick, he is enjoying quite the breakout campaign in the worst environment possible.
Rooker is the owner of a .319/.428/.673 with 11 home runs, 19 home runs, and 29 RBI.
With Rooker, Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Ryan Noda, Jordan Diaz and others, the A’s offense isn’t actually that bad.
The big problem is the pitching, which is the worst in the league.
Regardless of their contention status, it’s nice to see a player like Rooker blossom in such an adverse environment.
NEXT: The Athletics Have Posted A Horrific Mark This Season
