2012 Oakland A’s Expanded Game Notes includes: Traditional Game Notes Full Upcoming Probable Pitcher Pages Roster Supplemental Bios Expanded Game Notes Transactions Spring Training Statistics Monthly Statistics Please consider the environment before printing this document. To print traditional Game Notes, print from page 2 to 12. OAKLAND ATHLETICS Game Information Oakland Athletics Baseball Company 7000 Coliseum Way Oakland, CA 94621 510-638-4900 Public Relations Facsimile 510-562-1633 www.oaklandathletics.com A’s AT A GLANCE OAKLAND ATHLETICS (92-68) VS. TEXAS RANGERS (93-67) Season High 92-68 (October 1) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 – O.CO COLISEUM – 7:05 P.M. PDT Season Low 26-35 (June 10) LHP TRAVIS BLACKLEY (5-4, 4.00) VS. LHP MATT HARRISON (18-10, 3.26) April 10-12 May 11-16 CSNCA – A’S RADIO NETWORK (95.7 FM THE GAME) – EN ESPAÑOL (KIQI 1010 AM) June 15-13 July 19-5 ABOUT THE A’s August 18-10 September 17-11 ABOUT THE A’S: Have won four straight and six of the last seven games to improve to a season-high 24 Home Series 14-7-5 games over .500 at 92-68…this marks the first time the A’s have been 24 games over 500 since they finished Road Series 12-10-4 the 2006 season 93-69…that was also the last time the A’s had a winning record…have not been 25 games Series Sweeps 10-5 over since September 28, 2006 (92-67)…with the win last night, the A’s pulled to within one game of Texas, the First Game of Series 27-26 Last Game of Series 31-21 closest they have been to first place in the American League West since April 6, the A’s third game of the A’s Score First 62-20 season, when they were also one back…have held a share of first place one day this season and that was on Opponent Scores First 30-48 March 29 after they beat Seattle in the second game of the season in Tokyo to tie the Mariners with a 1-1 Leading After 7th 70-6 record…the A’s trailed Texas by 13 games on June 30…have gone a Major League best 55-26 (.679) since Leading After 8th 76-5 th then while Texas has gone 43-38 (.531)…only four teams in Major League history have come back from a Tied After 7 14-7 deficit of 13 or more games to win a pennant or division title: the 1914 Boston Braves (-15 through July 4), the Tied After 8th 10-5 th 1978 New York Yankees (-14 through July 18), the 1951 New York Giants (-13 through August 10) and the Trailing After 7 8-55 Trailing After 8th 6-58 1995 Seattle Mariners (-13 through August 1)…the A’s are tied for the third best record in the AL…won just 74 Commit No Errors 55-28 games last year and the 18-win improvement is third largest in Oakland history…had a 29-win turnaround from th Commit 1 or More Errors 37-40 1979 (54-108) to 1980 (83-79) and a 23-win improvement from 1987 (81-81) to 1988 (104-58)…this is the 16 More HR Than Opp. 48-18 time in Oakland history the A’s have won 90 or more games…only the Yankees (23) and Braves (16) have as Fewer HR Than Opp. 11-28 many as 16 seasons with 90 or more wins since 1968…have the best record in the majors since the All-Star Same Total HR of Opp. 33-22 Break (49-25, .662) and since June 2 (70-38, .648), the date the A’s snapped their season-high nine game Starter Pitches 7 or More 38-14 losing streak…in the West, have spent one day tied for first this year, 92 days in second, 11 days tied for Starter Pitches Less Than 7 54-54 When Scoring 4 or More 73-15 second, 54 days in third, eight days tied for third and 11 days in fourth. When Scoring Less Than 4 19-53 PLAYOFFS: The A’s clinched their first playoff appearance since 2006 with the win last night…this will be the Last At Bat 23-14 th Different Lineups 144 24 postseason appearance in franchise history, which includes 16 with Oakland and eight with Philadelphia…only the Yankees (51) and Dodgers (26) have more, although the Cardinals would reach postseason for the 25th time with a Wild Card berth this year…the clinching win came in game 160, which is the A’s vs. RANGERS second latest game in a season that the A’s have clinched a playoff berth…the latest was in 2000 when they The A’s lead the season series 9- clinched the West in game 161, which was the final game of the season that year…the A’s can win the 8…went 4-6 in Texas and are 5-2 American League West by winning each of the remaining two games…can clinch at least home field advantage in Oakland…have hit 25 home for the Wild Card game with a win tonight and a Baltimore loss…would win a tiebreaker with Baltimore as the runs against the Rangers, which is A’s won the season series, 5-4…also would win a tiebreaker with New York…split the season series 5-5 but their most against any team since hitting 28 against Texas in would have a better intradivision record…are currently 31-24 (.564) against the West while New York is 39-31 2004…have lost five of the (.557) against the East…the A’s can clinch the number one seed in the playoffs by winning each of the last two previous six season series and are games and the Yankees losing one more game…the only seed the A’s can’t have is the number three seed. 60-71 (.458) against Texas over that span (since 2006)…the only THE LONG BALL: The A’s have hit a Major League leading 110 home runs since the All-Star Break season series win over that span (Baltimore, 107)…those are the second most post-break home runs in Athletics history…the record is 127 in was in 2009 (11-8)…are 301-315 1999…have 193 home runs for the season, which ranks sixth in the American League and seventh in the all-time against the Texas majors…it is eighth most in Athletics history (7th is 197 in 1997, t-5th is 199 in 1987 and 2001)…hit just 114 Rangers…that breaks down to home runs last year and the increase of 79 home runs is second most in Athletics history to an 86 home run 161-146 in Oakland and 140-169 increase from 1998 (149) to 1999 (235)…have three players with 20 or more home runs for the first time since in Texas…have an all-time record of 398-397 against the 2006 (Chavez, Swisher, Thomas)…have eight players with 10 or more home runs, which is tied for second Rangers/Senators most in Athletics history (nine in 2000)…the A’s are 76-38 (.667) when they homer, including 40-14 (.741) with two or more home runs. TODAY’S TIDBITS PITCHING: The A’s rank second in the American League with a 3.50 ERA…the last time the A’s finished the The A’s currently have 15 rookies season with an ERA under 3.56 was in 1990 (3.18)…lead the AL in pickoffs (23), have allowed the second on the roster…have used 19 fewest home runs (147), rank second in opponents batting average (.246), slugging percentage (.379) and on- rookies overall, which is second base percentage (.307) and third in shutouts (13)…A’s starting pitchers have a 3.78 ERA (399 er in 949.1 ip), most in the majors to the Cubs which ranks third in the AL…have issued the fewest walks (249) and have the second fewest home runs (20) and second most in Oakland (102)…starters are averaging 2.36 walks per nine innings, which matches the lowest mark by A’s starters since history (21 in 2008)…12 of the 19 at least 1921 (2.36 in 1974). have been pitchers, which ties the Oakland record for most rookie OFFENSE: The A’s are batting .238, which is second lowest in the American League…the last team to reach pitchers set in 2009…all five the postseason while batting under .242 is the 1968 Detroit Tigers, who hit .235 en route to an AL best 103-59 pitchers currently in the A’s starting rotation are rookies (see record in the final season before divisional play began…the A’s .238 batting average is currently second lowest page 2 for more info)…A’s rookies in Oakland history (.236 in 1982, .239 in 1979)…have the third lowest on-base percentage in the AL (.310) but have combined for 52 wins and 55 the fourth most walks (544)…rank second in the AL in runs scored since the All-Star Break with 379 (74 games, home runs…according to the Elias 5.12 per game)…were last in the AL in runs before the break (319, 3.71 per game)…have been shut out 16 Sports Bureau, the A’s are just the times, which is second most in the majors (Miami, 17)…it is also the third highest total in Oakland history and second team in Major League the most since 1979 (17)…the record is 19 in 1978…have set an AL record with 1372 strikeouts…broke the history to have rookies combine previous mark of 1324 set by Tampa Bay in 2007…the strikeouts are fourth most in Major League history for at least 50 wins and 50 home runs in the same season (2006 (Arizona 1529 in 2010, Milwaukee 1399 in 2001, Florida 1375 in 2010).