Game #157: A's 12, Mariners 3
September 26, 2006 | A's @ Seattle
The A's are the 2006 AL Western Division Champions!
How the west was won:- Rich Harden returns! Five strikeouts in five innings, only two hits. (It was Saarloos who had an off night and gave up the two back-to-back homers in the 6th to the Mariners.) Harden has never lost any of his starts this season. Okay, he only had eight starts, but still...
- The A's garner a season-high 19 hits against Seattle.
- Home runs from Swisher (solo) and Bradley (for three runs). Here's to seeing them do their special handshake-kick routine in the playoffs.
- Jason Kendall is 4-for-6, two RBI, and a run. He will go to his first post-season in his 10-year career. Nine-year veteran Mark Kotsay didn't play tonight, but he's another on the A's who hasn't been on a division-winning team till now.
- Jay Payton played center and went 4-for-6 with a run and an RBI.
- Thanks, Rangers, for dispatching the Angels for us tonight. Good job.
(Game experience: FSN Bay Area and KYCY 1550 AM)
A's record: 91-66 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 5.00
posted by blank book at 9:52 PM
3 Comments:
Now that's more like it! It was fortuitous that the A's were able to build such a large lead in August. That provided them the breathing room they needed after losing the past three games. Had the Angels kept closer pace with the A's, they could have forced showdown series during the final weekend in Los Angeles of Anaheim.
The post season starts October 3rd in either Detroit or Minnesota. The A's will host game 3 at home on Friday, October 6th. Bring your transitor radio to work because every game in this series will be a day game. That is because a certain team from New York will command Fox's prime time schedule.
My superstitious experience: missed the first few innings. See the score online and turn on the radio, only to hear the 2 back-to-back homers hit. Quickly turn off the radio and steel nerves not to listen to the game. Re-tune in before bed, 12-2 lead. Decided it was okay to listen to the last 4 outs. Slept well.
Now, my nightmares are about Street meltdowns. Yuck!
Yeah, I really enjoyed watching the champagne-soaked celebrations in the clubhouse afterwards.
Some funny lines:
"The alcohol ban is over!" - Ray Fosse
"Hey, are you old enough to be drinking?" - Nick Swisher to Huston Street
"I'm already 23!" - Huston Street to Ray Fosse and therefore to everyone watching the broadcast
And when the A's had the huge lead in the 9th, Huston Street said he joked to everyone, "I think it's safe to put me in!"
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