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Strange things happen all the time in baseball, but there is one that is standing out of late, and it involves the Oakland Athletics, who are suddenly winning games and beating top teams. Then there's the ‘reverse boycott‘ plan that Oakland fans finally executed Tuesday night when their team plays the second game of a three-leg series at home against the MLB-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Those are disgruntled fans who want current team owner Josh Fisher to sell the Athletics amid relocation plans to Las Vegas.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay, meanwhile, relished the rare time that his team played a home game in front of a much bigger crowd.
“Tonight was as close to a playoff crowd as I’ve experienced managing, Kotsay said after the Athletics scored a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay and extended their undefeated streak to seven games (h/t Martín Gallegos of MLB.com). “The energy and atmosphere was everything that this stadium can be. For that to happen and for us to play a good game all around in front of that crowd, I couldn’t be happier.”
The Athletics leaned on the strong pitching of Hogan Harris, who threw for seven innings and allowed just an earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts to get the pitching win. Prior to that, Oakland defeated the Rays in the series opener on Monday, 4-3.
“It’s definitely something I’ve never [experienced] before, Harris said of the crowd that showed up at the Coliseum. “When I have the PitchCom turned up to 20 and I can’t hear it, I guess that tells you something.. … It was absolutely wild. Fans definitely showed up tonight. That’s for sure.”
