Win and advance, lose and the season is over.
The A's have certainly been here before. Unfortunately, their recent history in this situation has not been great.
Dating back to 2000, Oakland has lost eight consecutive winner-take-all games. In fact, you have to go back 46 years to find the last time the A's won a do-or-die game -- Game 7 of the 1973 World Series against the Mets.
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Of course, the current roster is completely different than most of the squads who suffered those losses. The one exception is last year's team, which fell to the Yankees in the Wild Card Game.
The 2014 Wild Card Game came before that when Oakland blew a 7-3 lead in the final two innings and a one-run lead in the 12th, losing 8-7 to the Kansas City Royals. The other six losses all came in Game 5 of the ALDS -- two against the Tigers, two against the Yankees, and one each against the Twins and Red Sox. Hey, at least Tampa Bay isn't on that list.
This year's version of the A's appears better equipped to win a game of this magnitude. If he so chooses, Bob Melvin can rely on a pitching formula of Sean Manaea, Jesús Luzardo, and Liam Hendriks, all of whom have been nothing short of brilliant.
Offensively, Oakland features power hitters throughout the lineup. They can strike at any moment, from the first inning to the ninth. The A's 10 walk-off wins this season were tied for most in the AL and they came back to win eight games when trailing after six innings.
Oakland Athletics
Perhaps Oakland's most underrated strength is its defense. Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien and Matt Olson all could win Gold Gloves this year, while Ramón Laureano and Mark Canha have made some phenomenal plays in the outfield. Young Sean Murphy already is one of the better defensive catchers in the league.
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Then, of course, there's the home-field advantage. While that hasn't always been the best predictor of success in winner-take-all games, the A's have played much better in front of their fans this season, going 52-27 at the Coliseum. With an expected crowd of more than 50,000, the Green and Gold should have all the energy they need.
Finally, if none of that convinces you that the A's can exercise their winner-take-all demons Wednesday night, then let's just say this: they're due.