Oakland Athletics middle fielder Ramon Laureano catches a ball hit by San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt for an out throughout the first inning of a baseball recreation in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. (AP Photograph/Jeff Chiu)
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics clinched their first AL West title since 2013 on Monday evening with an help from the rival Houston Astros.
Houston misplaced 6-1 to the Seattle Mariners, ending its three-year reign as division champion and making the A’s the primary crew within the majors to lock up a division crown on this pandemic-shortened season.
Oakland was off Monday earlier than opening an interleague sequence at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
Since final season ended, the slugging A’s have emphasised the necessity to win the division given they gained 97 video games every of the final two years and misplaced the AL wild-card recreation.
Oakland is within the playoffs for a 3rd straight yr and the sixth time in 9 seasons.
A’s right-hander Mike Fiers was the whistleblower within the Astros’ low season sign-stealing scandal when he publicly referred to as out his former membership for dishonest in an article revealed by The Athletic in November.
Houston gained a serious league-best 107 video games final season however misplaced to Washington within the World Sequence. The Astros introduced in veteran supervisor Dusty Baker to paved the way in 2020.
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Oakland Athletics’ Mike Minor pitches towards the San Francisco Giants throughout the first inning of a baseball recreation in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. (AP Photograph/Jeff Chiu)