MLB Trade Deadline Reaction

When I woke up Thursday morning there was grumbling the Oakland Athletics might be in the Jon Lester sweepstakes. Within 20 minutes of my groggy eyes checking in on MLB Networks on the television and twitter on my phone I saw that Yoenis Cespedes was going to be part of the deal.

At first I was shocked that the A’s would trade a middle of the order bat, and especially a guy like Cespedes, who said he wanted to play his entire career in Oakland, would be traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jon Lester.

As the trade began to formalize I saw the return of Jonny Gomes and cash to the Oakland franchise while a competitive balance Comp B pick would be heading to Boston to balance out the deal.
 

Overall, I was more shocked than anything. I thought the July 5 deal with the Chicago Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel were the icing on Billy Beane’s 2014 cake, but boy was I wrong.

Within just a few hours after the Cespedes-Lester trade the talking heads on MLB networks were talking about the second of the A’s moves.

This time it was a lesser deal. How could it have been any bigger? Wait, let me retract that statement, they could have traded Lew Wolf for a new owner. But back to reality, the A’s were trading a minor league, but major league ready pitcher in Tommy Milone, to the Minnesota Twins for Sam Fuld.

Milone had asked to be traded after being sent to AAA Sacramento when the A’s landed Samardzija and Hammel in the deal with the Cubs. But to trade Milone for a guy the A’s had DFA’d earlier in the season? It almost seemed comical. That they had kept a guy like Daric Barton on the roster in order to drop Fuld, and now were trading a major league ready pitcher away to get Fuld back.

While obtaining Fuld makes sense with injuries to Coco Crisp and Craig Gentry, the value to get Fuld back seemed a little much. But such is baseball, and such is life.

The addition of Fuld, Gomes and Lester gave the A’s the best and deepest rotation in baseball, and added to the depth in the outfield ... that is until the Detroit Tigers pulled out a last second three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays to land David Price.

The Cespedes-Lester trade might have been overshadowed by the Price trade but shouldn't be as the two teams might be on a collision course to face each other once again in the playoffs.

The green and gold franchise would stand pat for the rest of the day much like their cross Bay Area counter parts in the San Francisco Giants, as general manager Brian Sabean did not pull the trigger on any trades before the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline on July 31.

While Beane and Sabean took totally different routes to get through the trading deadline both are still on the look out for something that could bolster their second base corps before the waiver-trading deadline is reached at the end of August.

For both the Athletics and the Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley look like the most eligible candidates to fuel another chance at a World Series run, for one or both of the Bay Area franchises.

Texas Rangers' Kenny Rogers Pitches A Perfect Game

On July 28, 1994, Texas Ranger Kenny Rogers pitches the fourteenth perfect game in MLB history against the California Angels 4-0.

Rogers followed Lee Richmond, Monte Ward, Cy Young, Addie Joss, Charlie Robertson, Don Larsen, Jim Bunning, Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, Len Barker, Mike Witt and Dennis Martinez in throwing perfect games.

Since Rogers’ perfect game David Wells, David Cone, and Randy Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Dallas Braden, Roy Halladay, Phillip Humber, Matt Cain and Felix Hernandez have all achieved perfect game status.

The shortest span of time between perfect games throw was just five days between Richmond’s perfect game on June 12, 1880 and Ward’s perfect game on June 17, 1880. The longest span between perfect games is just under 24 years, between Ward’s perfect game on June 17, 1880 and Young’s perfect game on May 5, 1904.

The American League has seen 14 prefect games while the National League only nine times.

No single player has ever thrown more than one perfect game.

The most perfect games for a single team is three as the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees have had perfect games pitched. However, only two of the Yankees perfect games came in the regular season, with Larsen’s perfect game coming in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, meaning the Chicago White Sox have more regular season perfect games.

Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series was the first and last time a perfect game has been thrown in the playoffs, let alone the World Series.

The team with the most perfect games pitched against them is the Tampa Bay Rays, with three. All of them coming since 2009 with Chicago White Sox Buehrle, Oakland Athletics Braden, and Seattle Mariners Hernandez all doing the feat against the Rays.

The 2012 season saw the most perfect games in a single season as Cain, Hernandez and Humber all pitched perfect games in one season, the most since 2010 when Braden and Halladay both pitched perfect games.

Rogers would finish his career four All-Star appearances including three consecutive from 2004-2006. He was a five-time Gold Glove winner including three consecutive from 2004-2006.He was honored with a Fielding Bible Award in 2008 as the top fielding pitcher in MLB.

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane stated that Rogers "Was the best fielding pitcher he ever saw. It's like having an extra infielder".

He was a World Series Champion in 1996 with the New York Yankees and was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2011.

Rogers ended his 20-season career with 219 wins and 156 losses and 28 saves in 762 games with 474 starts in 3,302.2 innings pitched. He totaled a 4.27 ERA with 1,968 strikeouts and just 1,175 walks. Rogers would throw 36 complete games, with his highest single season total coming in 1998 with the Oakland Athletics, with seven. He also had nine shutouts, with his highest single season total coming in 1994 with the Texas Rangers, he threw two that season, one being the perfect game against the California Angels.

Rogers led the league in games pitched in 1992 with 81 games, and led the game in games started in 2004 with 35.

Rogers is second all-time in pickoffs with 93 in his career. On May 9, 2008 against the New York Yankees, Rogers picked off Wilson Betemit in the second inning for his ninty-second pick-off, passing Mark Langston.

The all-time leader in pickoffs is Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, another member of the perfect game crew.

Check out the final three outs from Rogers' perfect game:

Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb Reaches 4,000 Hits

On July 18, 1927, Hall of Famer and Detroit Tigers great Ty Cobb collects career hit 4,000.

At the time Cobb was the only player in Major League Baseball to reach 4,000 hits. Since Cobb only one player has hit more than 4,000 hits and that is former Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos great Pete Rose.

Cobb, nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in The Narrows, Georgia, a small rural community of farmers that was not an official city or village at the time.

Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936 Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.

At the end of his playing career Cobb was credited with breaking 90 MLB records including ending his career with a .366 batting average, still the highest ever, 54 career steals of home, still the most of all time, 892 stolen bases, which has since been surpassed by three players including current stolen base champion Oakland Athletics great Rickey Henderson. Most runs scored with 2,245, which has since been surpassed only by Henderson. Most career hits with 4,191, which has since been surpassed only by Rose.

Cobb finished his career as a one time American League MVP in 1911, the winner of 12 batting titles, including nine in a row from 1907-1915, both of which are the most of all time. He batted over .400 three times, which is tied for an MLB record and only batted under .320 once in his career. He also led the American League with a .350 batting average at age 20, second youngest in MLB history to do so.

Cobb’s career numbers include a .366 batting average, a .433 on-base percentage, a .512 slugging percentage, 4,189 hits, 724 doubles, 295 triples, 117 home runs, 1,249 walks, 1,938 RBIs, 2,246 runs scored, 897 stolen bases in 3,034 games played.

Cobb was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1936 with 98.23 percent of the vote. Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.

Since the inception of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York there have been 300 members elected with only three members with a higher percentage of the vote being inducted after Cobb including in this order of percentage; New York Mets great Tom Seaver 98.84 percent, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and California Angels great Nolan Ryan 98.79 percent and Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. with 98.53 percent.

Only Kansas City Royals George Brett has topped 98 percent of the vote without surpassing Cobb, with 98.19 percent.

Disco Demolition Night At Comiskey Park

On July 12, 1979, a double header at Comiskey Park took place, which has since been called Disco Demolition Night. The White Sox had to forfeit the second game as fans ran all over the field during Disco Demolition Night.

Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, during which a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field. It was held during night half of the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers double header.

During the climax of the event, rowdy fans surged onto the field, and a near riot ensued. It would ultimately prove to be one of the most notable promotional ideas and one of the most infamous since "Ten Cent Beer Night" in Cleveland in 1974.

Although White Sox owner Bill Veeck took much of the public heat for the fiasco, it was known among baseball people that his son Mike was the actual front office "brains" behind it. As a result, Mike was blacklisted from Major League Baseball for a long time after his father retired.

To this day, the second game of this doubleheader is still the last game forfeited in the American League. The last game to end in this manner in the National League was on August 10, 1995, when a baseball giveaway promotion went awry and resulted in the Los Angeles Dodgers forfeiture.

 Check out the video below of ESPN's coverage of Disco Demolition Night:

Cal Ripken Jr. Plays 1,000th Consecutive Game

On June 25, 1988 Hall of Famer and Baltimore Orioles great, Cal Ripken Jr. plays consecutively for 1,000 games. He would go on to play a total of 2,131 consecutive games breaking the record previously held by Lou Gehrig, in 1995 and in 1998 he would see his consecutive game streak end at 2.632.

To this day Ripken Jr. is still holds the most games played consecutively.

 

Ripken Jr. giving a curtain call farewell to his fans at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Ripken Jr. finished his career with a .276 batting average, 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, 1,078 extra base hits, 603 doubles, 1,129 walks 1,647 runs and 1,695 RBIs in 3,001 games played. All of which are Baltimore Orioles records.

Ripken Jr. was the 1982 American League Rookie of the Year, and was a 19-time All-Star; making the All-Star team in every season he played except for his Rookie campaign. He was the All-Star Game MVP twice in 1991 and 2001, and is still the All-time leader in MLB All-Star fan balloting with 36,123,483 votes. He has the most starts at shortstop for the American League in an All-Star game with 15, and 17 in total with two at third base.

He won the World Series once with the Orioles in 1983, was a two-time Gold Glove winner in 1991 and 1992. He was an eight-time Silver Slugger award, including four straight from 1983-1986. He was a two time American League MVP in 1983 and 1991. Ripken was the 1991 Home Run Derby winner and in 1992 he received the Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig Awards.

In 1999 Ripken Jr. was named to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team. That same yea he was ranked number 78 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

Ripken Jr. had his iconic number eight Baltimore Orioles jersey retired in 2001, that same year he was ranked the third greatest shortstop all-time in The New Bill James Historical Abstract.

He was elected into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 with 98.53 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared. The third highest for a player ever, and the highest ever for a position player.

Weather Impacting Sports

On Jan. 5, 1986, a game between the Seattle SuperSonics and Phoenix Suns was suspended early in the second quarter as a result of rain. The heavy rain outside began to leak through the roof of the arena in Seattle, leading to the first time an NBA game would be delayed because of rain.

This would also become the first time an NBA game would be suspended and resume on another day. The following day, the two teams returned and the Suns completed a win.

In Dec. 2010 the Metrodome then home of the Minnesota Vikings and Twins inflatable Teflon roof collapsed just hours before the Vikings would host the New York football Giants. The game was moved to Ford Field in Detroit and played on Monday instead of Sunday.

The Metrodome’s roof had collapsed before 2010 too. In the 1980s, the first years of the Metrodome the roof was damaged and deflated.

On November 19, 1981, a rapid accumulation of over a foot of snow caused the roof to collapse, requiring it to be re-inflated.

It deflated the following winter on December 30, 1982, again because of a tear caused by heavy snow. This was four days before the Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the last regular-season game of the 1982 NFL season.

 In the spring following that same winter, on April 14, 1983, the Metrodome roof deflated because of a tear caused by a late-season heavy snow, and the scheduled Twins' game with the California Angels was postponed.

On April 26, 1986, the Metrodome roof suffered a slight tear because of high winds, causing a nine-minute delay in the bottom of the seventh inning versus the Angels; however the roof did not deflate.

Other events to be cancelled or delayed because of weather related issues were the 1976 Daytona 500, it was called after 102 laps, making it the shortest official Indianapolis 500 in history.

The Daytona 500 would be hit again with rain in 2012, but this time postponing the race for the first time ever, 30 hours from Sunday afternoon to Monday night.

At the Formula One's 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, a rainstorm was predicted to hit the half of the race, of 56 laps; however, at the start of the race the weather was sunny with large black clouds in the distance.

By lap 19 it began to rain as some drivers entered pit road for wet tires as the rain was falling hard. By lap 28, the rain was torrential to the point officials called a caution, deploying the Safety Car, but still several cars were out due to spins or crash.

The rain became worse and the race was red-flagged on lap 33. Once the rain had ceased, it was deemed too late and dark to continue and the race was stopped. Some drivers and spectators protested the race organizer's decision but no action was taken.

The 2009 season was the first year that the FIA started the Asia and Australia races as late-afternoon starts where the sun would be setting during the race finish in order to maximize European television broadcasts.

The 2009 Petit Le Mans in Braselton, Georgia, was an example of a rainout under the FIA Code, where only three completed laps are needed for an official race and less than half the race (184 of 394 laps).

The red flag waved after 184 laps at the 4:52 point of the race. In endurance racing, the clock does not stop for red flags. IMSA waited until 8 PM to declare the race official.

While the race was 13 laps from official (500 miles), the clock had passed the five-hour mark when the race was called at 8 PM.

In the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One, rain before the race wet the circuit. 30 minutes into the race, a heavy rainstorm hit the circuit and the race was red-flagged, the rain didn't stop and the event was delayed for more than 2 hours, the race was finished for its 70 laps and was the longest race in Formula One history.

To prevent a repeat, FIA rules were changed so that a four-hour race clock starts when the cars start their warm-up lap. The clock will not be stopped for any situation, effectively ending a race four hours after cars roll off—regardless of how far the race has finished.

San Francisco Giants Sign Zito

On Dec. 27, 2006, that the San Francisco Giants signed free agent starting pitcher Barry Zito to a seven-year deal worth $126 million.  Zito’s contract made him the highest paid pitcher in Major League history at the time of the signing.

Barry Zito had a terrific season in 2002 when he had a 23-5 record with a 2.75 ERA in 35 starts and went on to win the American League Cy Young as a member of the Oakland Athletics.  However, his next four seasons in Oakland were up and down, as he compiled a rather mediocre 55-46 record.  The Giants felt that a change of scenery would help resurrect his career, so they signed him to be the ace of their pitching staff.  Unfortunately for San Francisco, Zito is not the pitcher he once was as he put together an ugly 40-57 record during his first four years as a Giant.

Things had gotten so bad for Zito that the Giants left him off their post-season roster last year.  The move turned out to be the right decision, as they went on to defeat the Texas Rangers to capture the World Series Championship.

2011 proved to be another disastrous year for Zito as injuries left him sidelined for most of the season after he started off the season with a 3-4 record in nine starts, putting up a 5.87 ERA.

However, Zito would begin to turn around in the eyes of Giants’ fans and baseball fans alike in 2012 as the Giants made their run for their second World Series Championship in three years.

The 2012 season would see Zito post his best record since leaving the Oakland Athletics in 2006. He would post a 15-8 record in 32 regular season starts with a 4.15 ERA in 184 and one-third innings. During the season Zito earned his 150^th major league win, becoming the 246^th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to hit the mark.

Zito also pitched amazing down the final stretch of the season, as he did not lose a single start after Aug. 2, while the Giants won his final 14 starts of the season.

But it wasn’t his regular season outings that put him the graciousness of San Francisco baseball fans. It was his post-season performances.

Back on the post-season roster was a big thing for Zito, and he proved it against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Divisional Series. Zito wasn’t up to par though in his start against Cincinnati as he was pulled after in the third inning after allowing two runs. However, the Giants rebounded in the series and would move on to the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the Championship Series against St. Louis Zito would shine. Pitching arguably his best game ever, Zito pitched seven and two-third shutout innings in Game 5 against the Cardinals, leading the Giants to a major victory. The victory would be Zito’s first in the playoffs since 2006 as a member of the Oakland Athletics when he won a showdown against former Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana in the American League Divisional Series.

The Giants would up beating the Cardinals and head to the World Series to face off against the Detroit Tigers, a team that beat Zito when he was on the A’s in 2006 in the American League Championship series.

Detroit would eventually go to the World Series in 2006 and lose to the Cardinals.

But it was 2012, and the Giants, with Zito were in the World Series, and who was better to pitch the first game of the World Series in San Francisco, none other than Zito. He earned the win while outpitching Detroit’s Justin Verlander, who was up for another American League CY Young award.

Zito pitched five and two-third innings of one run ball, and even helped his cause with the bat on the offense side of the game with an RBI single to help the Giants take Game 1 of the World Series 8-3.

The Giants would go on to sweep the Tigers, leaving Zito a perfect 1-0 in World Series appearances, and giving him an amazing 2-0 record with a 1.69 ERA in three post season appearances in 2012, while earning his second World Series Championship ring, but the first in which he helped the Giants in the post-season.

At the end of the season Zito was awarded the 2012 HUTCH Award, which is given annually to an active Major League Baseball player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity.

The award was created in 1965 in honor of Hutchinson, the former MLB pitcher and manager, who died of lung cancer the previous year.

 2013 would be another mediocre year for Zito with the Giants. After starting the year with a 1-0 shutout win of the St. Louis Cardinals, he would end the season with just a 5-11 record, in 25 starts.

Following the end of the season, Zito took out a full-page add in the San Francisco Chronicle thanking Giants fans for their support^. The Giants declined Zito's 2014 option, buying it out for $7 million.

Giants Win World Series

On Nov. 1, 2010, the San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 of the World Series. The win gave the Giants their first championship since 1954 when they defeated the Cleveland Indians.

The Giants continued their legacy in San Francisco as they won the World Series last year, sweeping the Detroit Tigers. 

 The San Francisco Giants now have seven World Series championship titles dating back to their time in New York, and have two since moving to San Francisco in 1954.

Athletics Fall To Tigers In ALDS Game 5

Mojo in Oaktown runs out as Oakland falls to Detroit in yet another Game 5 in the ALDS

OAKLAND, Calif. – In a rematch of Game 2 the Oakland Athletics sent out rookie pitcher Sonny Gray for the pitching duties to matchup against the former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in a winner take all Game 5 of the ALDS.

Verlander was bringing in 22 consecutive innings of scoreless ball against the A’s, while Gray was only making his second postseason start of his career, in what was also his second of the series.
The pitching matchup proved to be similar from Game 2 as Gray and Verlander were un-hittable through three full innings, with Gray allowing just one walk to Prince Fielder. But for Gray the wheels began to spin like a truck in mud. He continued to pound the zone with fastballs and gave up back-to-back hits to Torii Hunter and a home to Miguel Cabrera in the top of the fourth inning.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy -- Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera (right) hit a two-run home run in he fourth inning off of Oakland Athletics Sonny Gray. Cabrera’s two-run home run would prove to be all the Tigers would need to clinch their second straight ALDS title at the O.Co Coliseum on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013.

The home run for Cabrera was his first since Sept. 17, also his first extra base hit in the same time span.

“He didn’t have the leg driving he normally does, and I surprised he pulled it for a home run,” said Oakland A’s Manager Bob Melvin. “But I guess you can’t be surprised when Cabrera hits a home run.”

Gray would continue to get in trouble in the inning after he got Fielder to ground out, he allowed back-to-back singles to Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta before walking Alex Avila to load the bases. After a mound visit by pitching Coach Curt Young, Gray would get Infante to ground out to escape what would have been instantaneous danger.

Gray would again come out to pitch the fifth and sixth innings, but would be pulled in the sixth after allowing back-to-back hits to Martinez and Peralta again. Gray would leave the game to a standing ovation from the crowd, as Melvin also gave the youngster a round of applause on his way to the mound.

Reliever Dan Otero would come in and get out of the inning, but only before allowing one of the two inherited runners from Gray to score pushing the score to 3-0 in favor of the Tigers.

TOD FIERNER/ Courtesy -- Detroit Tigers Justin Verlander proved to be too much for the Oakland Athletics to handle in Game 5 of the ALDS on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Verlander was dominant pitching a perfect game until the sixth inning, a no-hitter until the seventh inning and eventually pitching eight scoreless innings in the 3-0 win.

In the other dugout it was Verlander who continue to stifle the Oakland offense as he took his perfect game bid into the sixth inning before walking Josh Reddick with one out. Reddick would advance to second on a fly ball from Stephen Vogt, the hero from Game 2, but he would be left at second as Coco Crisp flied out to end the inning.

Otero would work a clean inning, allowing two hits to Fielder and Martinez, but not allowing any runners to score, keeping the score at 3-0.

“Since he came up for his, look at his numbers, they have been fantastic,” said Oakland Manager Bob Melvin. “We used in a number of roles, and he’s been a guy we really leaned on late in games. And he was the first guy we called on tonight to come in and stop the rally.”

Verlander would continue to dominate with the no-hit bid still in tact but would give up a single to Yoenis Cespedes with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The fans would go crazy as Cespedes rounded first base, only to trot back to pound fists with first base Coach Ty Waller. However for the A’s fans and Cespedes, he would be left on-base as Verlander would strike out Seth Smith, for his eighth strikeout of the night.

Then it was Sean Doolittle’s turn to get some action as he came in from the bullpen. Doolittle would work a one-two-three inning, giving the A’s fans some hope that their team could work around the 3-0 deficit.

The bottom of the eighth inning saw Brandon Moss strike out for his third time in the game and Alberto Callaspo ground out to Fielder at first before Reddick got on-base for the second time in the game, this time with a single up the middle.

Still with a bit of hope in their pocket the A’s fans rose to their feet hoping that Vogt would get a clutch hit. However, it was Verlander who would have the last laugh as he recorded strikeout number 10 on the night.

“Justin was locked in tonight,” said Tigers Manager Jim Leyland. “I don’t know how he is locked in against a certain team, but he was.”

The top of the ninth brought in Australian closer Grant Balfour to face the Tigers top of the line up.

Balfour would strike out Austin Jackson, earning his third strikeout of the game, and Divisional Series record of 13, a record that Oakland’s Moss tied with his three in the game. Balfour would continue to do what he did throughout most of the season, get batters out as he got Hunter to fly out to Crisp in center for the second out. Then it was time to face Cabrera, who only had two hits after the first inning of each game in the series. Balfour would get Cabrera swinging, breathing one last breath of life into the stands of the O.Co Coliseum.

Down 3-0 and with the top of the lineup due the Tigers brought in closer Joaquin Benoit for Verlander, as well as their defensive replacements as Peralta and Cabrera went to the dugout in favor of Jose Iglesias and Ramon Santiago respectively.

“You feel relieved when Verlander doesn’t come out,” said Melvin. “But Benoit has been doing well too.”

“Verlander told me he was dead tired after the eighth inning,” said Leyland.

With the fans on their feet and chanting “Let’s Go Oakland,” Crisp started off the inning against Benoit with a ground out to second, bringing up Donaldson who had been slumping in the series, holding just a .150 average in the series into the at-bat against Benoit would strike out swinging.

Down to there last out former Stanford Cardinal product, and first year A’s shortstop Lowrie would step into the box to face Benoit, looking to give the Oakland fans some sort of miracle. But like Donaldson he had been slumping in the series, bringing a .105 average into the at-bat, but he would come through, hitting a double to left-center field.

That brought up one of the two hottest hitters for the A’s in the series, Cespedes, the player who broke up Verlander’s no-hit bid earlier in the game. Once again the fans jumped to their feet to cheer on their slugger.

Once again the fans chanted “Let’s Go Oakland,” as Cespedes took a pair of uninhibited hacks at pitches from Benoit.

With a two-ball and two-strike count Benoit would hit Cespedes on the inner leg, bringing the tying run to the plate in Seth Smith, who would work the count, but would eventually fly out to right field, ending the Oakland A’s season.

“I was worried when Smith came in,” said Leyland. “I wasn’t very comfortable.”

“Our fans were just waiting to get into a frenzy, we just needed to get some base runners, and let our fans pull us the way we did last year,” said Melvin.  “We just didn’t get any consistency, until the last inning.”

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy -- The Detroit Tigers celebrating on the field at the O.Co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. after recording the final out of the 2013 ALDS.

But you wouldn’t have noticed that the game was over by the way the Oakland fans stayed and cheered on the team again raining down chants of “Let’s Go Oakland,” as the Detroit Tigers rushed the field to celebrate on the infield.

The A’s loss to the Tigers makes it 10 consecutive playoff losses to the Tigers dating back to 2006 when they lost to the Tigers in the ALCS. The last six losses coming in the last two ALDS matchups from 2012 and 2013.

For the Tigers, they head to Boston to face the Red Sox in the ALCS.