BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…June 24, 2018:
The Oakland A’s set a modern major league record when they connect for a home run in their 25th consecutive road game. This time it was Mark Canha going deep in a 10-3 loss to the White Sox in Chicago. The A’s eclipsed the previous mark of 24 set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1996. Oakland would extend the record to 27 games before the streak was snapped in Detroit three nights later.
The Oakland franchise had been downtrodden for a long time, with very little success since the “Moneyball” years. But the low-payroll and attendance-challenged A’s were hanging in there at that point, despite the loss, with a 40-38 record. It got a lot better from there, as Oakland finished 97-65, second in the American League West behind the Houston Astros. They would lose to the New York Yankees that fall in the AL Wild Card game.
Unlike today, Oakland still had a solid roster of budding young stars such as Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chad Pinder and Marcus Semien. Olson led the A’s with nine home runs during the record road streak. But as Oakland owner John Fisher was wont to do, he eventually traded away all the fan favorites or let them go via free agency. Olson, for example, led the NL in home runs last year with 54 for the Atlanta Braves, and Semien was a key cog in the Texas Rangers’ first world championship team.
Now, with the team gutted and its fans disenfranchised, Fisher has figured out a way to move the franchise to Las Vegas, although many are in “believe it when they see it” mode. The A’s are to play the next three seasons—at least—in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento with no city name attached to them. It’s a cryin’ shame this has happened to Oakland, home to the A’s since 1968. If only Fisher would sell the team…
Which gives me a chance to talk about the Oakland Ballers, one of two new entries in the Pioneer League this season. The Ballers, known as the B’s, have received an inordinate amount of publicity in the Bay Area. They play in a hastily-constructed ballpark at Raimondi Park, and on Opening Night, nearly every seat was filled, with an announced attendance of 4,100. The same night at the Oakland Coliseum, the Athletics attracted 5,624. Everyone’s waiting for the night that the B’s outdraw the A’s. The Boise Hawks play the Ballers at Raimondi Park in a six-game series August 13-18.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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