As bad as the Oakland Athletics have been this season (trust us, they have been really bad), they have also surprised us more than a few times with positive developments.
They are 45-99, but they managed to string together a seven-game winning streak in June, they organized that marvelous reverse boycott that month, and now they took down the reigning World Series champs on the road.
In case you are at home keeping score, that’s a record given the circumstances.
“Tonight the @Athletics blanked the Astros 4-0 in Houston. It’s the first time in MLB history a team 50+ games under .500 shut out the defending World Series champions on the road,” OptaSTATS tweeted.
Tonight the @Athletics blanked the Astros 4-0 in Houston.
It's the first time in MLB history a team 50+ games under .500 shut out the defending World Series champions on the road. pic.twitter.com/DjbC0VLSkJ
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 12, 2023
Left-hander Ken Waldichuk was the main man responsible for the feat.
Rookie flamethrower Mason Miller acted as the A’s “opener” and tossed two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
Then, Waldichuk took over and didn’t look back.
For six innings, he blanked a really talented offensive team, boasting hitters such as Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Michael Brantley, Yainer Diaz, Chas McCormick, and others.
All of them but Diaz were in the lineup on Monday.
It didn’t matter: Waldichuk only allowed a single walk over the six frames, with no hits.
He also struck out three.
Trevor May tossed a scoreless ninth to secure the win.
Knowing that the owner’s mind is in Las Vegas and not in Oakland ahead of a move, fans of the Athletics are hurting.
It’s nice to know that in the middle of the highly disappointing 2023, players can still find a way to steal a smile or two from them.
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