| 2014 Oakland Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League Wild Card Winners | ||
 | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | O.co Coliseum | |
| City | Oakland, California | |
| Record | 88–74 (.543) | |
| Divisional place | 2nd | |
| Owners | Lewis Wolff, John Fisher | |
| General managers | Billy Beane | |
| Managers | Bob Melvin | |
| Television | Comcast SportsNet California (Glen Kuiper, Ray Fosse, Shooty Babitt) | |
| Radio | KGMZ (Ken Korach, Vince Cotroneo, Ray Fosse) | |
| ||
The 2014 Oakland Athletics season was the 46th for the franchise in Oakland, as well as the 114th in club history. The Athletics entered the season hoping to win a third consecutive American League West championship; to that end, the team made a number of key signings and trades during the 2013–14 MLB offseason. Notably, Athletics traded outfielder Michael Choice for left fielder Craig Gentry and pitcher Josh Lindblom; they also traded the promising but oft-injured Brett Anderson for reliever Drew Pomeranz. Additional trades brought in relievers Fernando Abad (acquired for John Wooten), Luke Gregerson (acquired for Seth Smith), and Jim Johnson (acquired for Jemile Weeks and David Freitas). In free agency, the Athletics signed former All-Star starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to a two-year deal. These moves, among others, sought to bolster the depth of team's starting pitching and bullpen.
Shortly before the season opener, the Athletics were dealt a huge blow when starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and A. J. Griffin were ruled out for the season. The team responded by promoting reliever Jesse Chavez (and, eventually, Drew Pomeranz) to the starting rotation. Despite this setback, the team raced out to an impressive start; by the All-Star Break, the Athletics had compiled a league-best record of 59–36. Unexpectedly strong performances by starting pitchers Scott Kazmir, Jesse Chavez, and Drew Pomeranz enabled much of this surge; the Athletics' red-hot hitters (particularly sluggers Josh Donaldson, Yoenis Céspedes, and Brandon Moss) also played a major role.
Despite their fantastic first-half performance, the Athletics remained locked in a tight battle for first place in the American League West. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, like the Athletics, had also raced out to an impressive start; at the All-Star Break, the Angels owned the league's second-best record (and, at 57-37, only trailed the Athletics by 1.5 games). In part because of this, the Athletics traded noted prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney, along with starting pitcher Dan Straily, to the Chicago Cubs for two starters (ace Jeff Samardzija and veteran Jason Hammel) on July 4.
The Athletics continued to play well throughout July. Still, they failed to gain significant ground on the Angels. On July 31, with a scant 2.5 game lead over Los Angeles, the Athletics stunned the league by trading Yoenis Céspedes for all-star starter Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes. In the week immediately following the trade, things went well for the team; by August 9, they had raised their lead over the Angels to four games. From that point forward, however, the A's tumbled into a downward spiral as they won just 16 of their final 46 games due to ineffective hitting and a spate of narrow losses. The Athletics only managed to clinch an AL Wild Card berth on the final day of the regular season. The team finished some ten games behind the Angels, who clinched the league's best record with a 98-64 finish.
The Athletics met the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 American League Wild Card Game. The Athletics held a 7–3 lead over the Royals through seven innings; a furious Royals rally, however, saw the Royals tie the game by scoring three runs in the eighth inning and one run in the ninth. In the 12th inning, the Athletics' took an 8-7 lead on an Alberto Callaspo line drive; the Royals, however, would again rally for a 9-8 walk-off victory (their first playoff win in 29 years). The Athletics did not reach the postseason again until the 2018 season.