1994 Oakland Athletics season: Difference between revisions
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| name = Oakland Athletics |
| name = Oakland Athletics |
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| season = 1994 |
| season = 1994 |
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Revision as of 23:39, 9 November 2013
| 1994 Oakland Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:OaklandAthletics 100.png | ||
| Division | Western Division | |
| Ballpark | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | |
| City | Oakland, California | |
| Owners | Walter A. Haas, Jr. | |
| Managers | Tony La Russa | |
| Television | KRON-TV (Dick Stockton, Ray Fosse) Sports Channel Pacific (Ray Fosse, Greg Papa) | |
| Radio | KFRC (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ray Fosse) | |
| ||
The Oakland Athletics' 1994 season was the team's twenty-seventh in Oakland, California. The A's sought to improve upon their dreadful 1993 record of 68-94; in doing so, the team hoped to return to the postseason for the fifth time in seven years. A number of key starters from the Athletics' so-called "Fourth Dynasty" (namely Dennis Eckersley, Bob Welch, Rickey Henderson, Terry Steinbach, and Mark McGwire) remained with the team in 1994. Despite this, expectations were low.
The ensuing campaign ranks among the strangest in Athletics history. It began with a respectable 7-5 start through 12 games. The A's, however, summarily dropped 31 of their next 37 contests. The implosion left the team with a 13-36 record. The A's, now in last place, trailed the division-leading Angels (who also boasted a sub-.500 record) by nine games. The Athletics continued to lose ground over the following two weeks; at their absolute nadir, their 19-43 record trailed the division-leading Rangers by 12.5 games. The Athletics season, quite summarily, appeared finished.
The Athletics' bizarre run continued with a 19-3 surge. In doing so, they raised their record to a semi-respectable 38-46. Their sudden explosion, combined with the extreme struggles of the other American League West teams (especially Texas), allowed the A's to re-enter the playoff picture. The Athletics battled the Rangers until season's end; despite a 51-63 record, they ended the season only one game behind the Rangers. Amazingly, all four of the American League West's teams would finish the strike-shortened season with losing records. This is the only such instance in MLB history.
The 1994 Player's Strike ended the season (and the A's postseason hopes) entirely. While the Rangers would win their first-ever division title in 1996, the A's would have to wait until 2000 to return to the postseason.
Offseason
- November 16, 1993: Mike Aldrete was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[1]
- December 13, 1993: Billy Taylor was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[2]
- December 17, 1993: Rickey Henderson was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[3]
- December 20, 1993: Kurt Abbott was traded by the Athletics to the Florida Marlins for Kerwin Moore.[4]
- December 23, 1993: Dave Righetti was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[5]
Regular season
Despite compiling a record of only 51-63 by Friday, August 12, the Athletics were only one game behind the Texas Rangers for the lead in the AL West Division. They had scored 549 runs (4.82 per game) and allowed 589 runs (5.17 per game).[6]
Transactions
- April 27, 1994: Dave Righetti was released by the Athletics.[5]
- April 30, 1994: Steve Sax was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[7]
- May 10, 1994: Jeff Schaefer was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[8]
- June 2, 1994: 1994 Major League Baseball Draft
- Jason Beverlin was drafted by the Athletics in the 4th round.[9]
- Tim Hudson was drafted by the Athletics in the 35th round, but did not sign.[10]
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Rangers | 52 | 62 | .456 | — | 31–32 | 21–30 |
| Oakland Athletics | 51 | 63 | .447 | 1 | 24–32 | 27–31 |
| Seattle Mariners | 49 | 63 | .438 | 2 | 22–22 | 27–41 |
| California Angels | 47 | 68 | .409 | 5½ | 23–40 | 24–28 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 70 | 43 | .619 |
| Chicago White Sox | 67 | 46 | .593 |
| Texas Rangers | 52 | 62 | .456 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 66 | 47 | .584 | — |
| Baltimore Orioles | 63 | 49 | .562 | 2½ |
| Kansas City Royals | 64 | 51 | .557 | 3 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 55 | 60 | .478 | 12 |
| Boston Red Sox | 54 | 61 | .470 | 13 |
| Minnesota Twins | 53 | 60 | .469 | 13 |
| Detroit Tigers | 53 | 62 | .461 | 14 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 53 | 62 | .461 | 14 |
| Oakland Athletics | 51 | 63 | .447 | 15½ |
| Seattle Mariners | 49 | 63 | .438 | 16½ |
| California Angels | 47 | 68 | .409 | 20 |
Roster
| 1994 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS | Mike Bordick | 114 | 391 | 99 | .253 | 2 | 37 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark McGwire | 47 | 135 | 34 | .252 | 9 | 25 |
| Steve Sax | 7 | 24 | 6 | .250 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeff Schaefer | 6 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Huntsville
References
- ^ Mike Aldrete page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Billy Taylor page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Rickey Henderson page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Kerwin Moore page at Baseball Reference
- ^ a b Dave Righetti page at Baseball Reference
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1994.shtml
- ^ Steve Sax page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Jeff Schaefer page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Jason Beverlin page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Tim Hudson page at Baseball Reference
- 1994 Oakland Athletics team page at Baseball Reference
- 1994 Oakland Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.