2007 Oakland Athletics season

2007 Oakland Athletics
File:OaklandAthletics 100.png
Division	Western Division
Ballpark	McAfee Coliseum
City	Oakland, California
Record	76–86 (.469)
Owners	Lewis Wolff
Managers	Bob Geren
Television	FSN Bay Area KICU (Action 36)
Radio	KYCY KNTS KFRC-FM
Seasons

The Oakland Athletics' 2007 season was their first since 2004 in which they defended a title. The A's were without Frank Thomas (Toronto) and ace Barry Zito (San Francisco), both players who the A's lost to free agency. They filled the space left by Frank Thomas by signing free agent catcher Mike Piazza to a one-year contract worth $8.5 million to be the team's designated hitter. They were also without Ken Macha, their former manager who was fired after 4 seasons with the team and replaced by Bob Geren, as well as third-base coach Ron Washington, who accepted the managerial position of the Texas Rangers. It was their first losing season since 1998.

Offseason

• December 6, 2006: Alan Embree was signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics.
• December 7, 2006: Jared Burton was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds from the Oakland Athletics in the 2006 rule 5 draft.
• February 5, 2007: Ricky Ledee signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics.

Regular season

Season standings

AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	94	68	.580	—	54‍–‍27	40‍–‍41
Seattle Mariners	88	74	.543	6	49‍–‍33	39‍–‍41
Oakland Athletics	76	86	.469	18	40‍–‍41	36‍–‍45
Texas Rangers	75	87	.463	19	47‍–‍34	28‍–‍53

Record vs. opponents

2007 American League record Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team	BAL	BOS	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	LAA	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TB	TEX	TOR	NL
Baltimore	—	6–12	5–3	3–4	1–5	7–0	3–7	0–7	9–9	4–4	2–7	11–7	4–6	8–10	6–12
Boston	12–6	—	7–1	5–2	3–4	3–3	6–4	4–3	8–10	4–4	4–5	13–5	6–4	9–9	12–6
Chicago	3–5	1–7	—	7–11	11–7	12–6	5–4	9–9	4–6	4–5	1–7	6–1	2–4	3–4	4–14
Cleveland	4–3	2–5	11–7	—	12–6	11–7	5–5	14–4	0–6	6–4	4–3	8–2	6–3	4–2	9–9
Detroit	5–1	4–3	7–11	6–12	—	11–7	3–5	12–6	4–4	4–6	6–4	3–4	5–4	4–3	14–4
Kansas City	0–7	3–3	6–12	7–11	7–11	—	5–2	9–9	1–9	6–4	3–6	4–3	5–4	3–4	10–8
Los Angeles	7–3	4–6	4–5	5–5	5–3	2–5	—	6–3	6–3	9–10	13–6	6–2	10–9	3–4	14–4
Minnesota	7–0	3–4	9–9	4–14	6–12	9–9	3–6	—	2–5	5–2	6–3	3–4	7–2	4–6	11–7
New York	9–9	10–8	6–4	6–0	4–4	9–1	3–6	5–2	—	2–4	5–5	10–8	5–1	10–8	10–8
Oakland	4–4	4–4	5–4	4–6	6–4	4–6	10–9	2–5	4–2	—	5–14	4–6	9–10	5–4	10–8
Seattle	7–2	5–4	7–1	3–4	4–6	6–3	6–13	3–6	5–5	14–5	—	4–3	11–8	4–5	9–9
Tampa Bay	7–11	5–13	1–6	2–8	4–3	3–4	2–6	4–3	8–10	6–4	3–4	—	5–4	9–9	7–11
Texas	6–4	4–6	4–2	3–6	4–5	4–5	9–10	2–7	1–5	10–9	8–11	4–5	—	5–5	11–7
Toronto	10–8	9–9	4–3	2–4	3–4	4–3	4–3	6–4	8–10	4–5	5–4	9–9	5–5	—	10–8

Roster

2007 Oakland Athletics
Roster
Pitchers 55 Joe Blanton 64 Jerry Blevins 61 Dallas Braden 54 Andrew Brown 50 Kiko Calero 44 Santiago Casilla 56 Lenny DiNardo 58 Justin Duchscherer 41 Alan Embree 47 Ron Flores 57 Chad Gaudin 40 Rich Harden 15 Dan Haren 37 Joe Kennedy 60 Shane Komine 46 Colby Lewis 25 Esteban Loaiza 45 Ruddy Lugo 52 Jay Marshall 30 Dan Meyer 62 Connor Robertson 20 Huston Street 45 Jay Witasick		Catchers 17 Rob Bowen 18 Jason Kendall 17 Adam Melhuse 28 Kurt Suzuki Infielders 10 Daric Barton  3 Eric Chavez  7 Bobby Crosby 14 Mark Ellis 22 Jack Hannahan 29 Dan Johnson  8 Kevin Melillo 12 Donnie Murphy 19 Marco Scutaro 12 Todd Walker		Outfielders 44 Hiram Bocachica 22 Milton Bradley 18 Dee Brown  6 Travis Buck 32 Jack Cust 37 Jeff DaVanon  8 J. J. Furmaniak 23 Bobby Kielty 21 Mark Kotsay 11 Ryan Langerhans 26 Danny Putnam 11 Chris Snelling 24 Shannon Stewart 33 Nick Swisher 51 Kevin Thompson Other batters 31 Mike Piazza		Manager 53 Bob Geren Coaches 48 Brad Fischer (bullpen)  4 Rene Lachemann (third base) 38 Bob Schaefer (bench) 39 Ty Van Burkleo (hitting) 36 Tye Waller (first base) 41 Curt Young (pitching)

Notable games

• April 5, 2007 - Mike Piazza hits a go-ahead home run to center field giving the A's a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was notable because it was his first home run of the season, his first as an Oakland Athletic, and his first ever at Angel Stadium.
• April 15, 2007 - Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs against the New York Yankees, Todd Walker got a hit and Jason Kendall was walked to put two men on base. Backup Marco Scutaro who was then 1 for 20 on the season hit a home run to left field which gave the A's a remarkable 5-4 win as well as the series vs. the Yankees.
• May 13, 2007 - Again trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the Athletics seemed to be out vs. the Cleveland Indians. However Chavez overcame a 0-2 strike count to hit a single and get on board. Milton Bradley then hit a home run to right field to tie the game. After Dan Johnson and Bobby Crosby got on base, Jack Cust, coming off a hot streak after being in the lineup for seven days at the time, hit a three-run shot to center field which gave the A's another dramatic comeback at home for a 10-7 victory.
• May 18, 2007 - The first game of the season against the San Francisco Giants saw former A's pitcher Barry Zito return to Oakland and try to beat his former team. However, the A's would not allow that. Zito allowed seven runs and six hits in four-plus innings, and walked seven. The A's would pound the Giants even harder, scoring eight runs on the Giants bullpen, including a Mark Ellis grand slam for a 15-3 win.
• June 2, 2007 - Joe Blanton hit nine scoreless innings for his fifth complete game against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins' pitcher Carlos Silva also pitched the entire eight innings in which the Twins were on the field. (The A's were at home, so the bottom of the ninth was not necessary.) The one run Silva allowed was the difference as the A's won 1-0.
• June 4, 2007 - Mark Ellis was having a great day for the entire game vs. the Boston Red Sox. After hitting a triple in the bottom of the 2nd which gave the A's the lead, he would hit a home run in the fourth, and a double in the sixth. With a chance to hit for the cycle in the bottom of the eighth, Ellis grounded the ball into a fielder's choice and was not awarded a single, despite that no one was out as a result of the play. With the A's having a 4-2 lead it seemed like Ellis would not hit for the cycle. However, the Red Sox would tie the game in the top of the ninth, and the A's were unable to break the tie in the bottom of the inning. This was a blessing in disguise as Mark Ellis had another chance to hit for the cycle, which he did with a single to midfield. He was the sixth player in the Oakland Athletics to hit for the cycle (not including when the A's were in Philadelphia and Kansas City). Eric Chavez, who has also hit for the cycle in 2000, won the game with a solo home run in the 11th.
• June 7, 2007 - Shannon Stewart broke up a hitless game for the A's in the bottom of the ninth. This spoiled Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's bid for his first career no-hitter. The A's however could not score, and Schilling still walked away with a complete game 1-0 shutout. It was Boston's only win of the four game series.

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

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

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

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Sacramento RiverCats	Pacific Coast League	Tony DeFrancesco
AA	Midland RockHounds	Texas League	Todd Steverson
A	Stockton Ports	California League	Darren Bush
A	Kane County Cougars	Midwest League	Aaron Nieckula
Short-Season A	Vancouver Canadians	Northwest League	Rick Magnante
Rookie	AZL Athletics	Arizona League	Ruben Escalera

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Sacramento

References

• Game Logs + Notable Games:

1st Half: Oakland Athletics Game Log on ESPN.com

2nd Half: Oakland Athletics Game Log on ESPN.com