The Oakland Athletics have one of the richest histories in all of professional sports. Since moving to Oakland in 1968, the A's have been responsible for four World Series championships, six no-hitters, two perfect games, and one Hollywood blockbuster.
This season, the A’s are celebrating their 50th year in the East Bay. The festivities began last Friday at the Coliseum, when the team welcomed back its 50 greatest players in franchise history. From Rollie Fingers, to Rickey Henderson, to Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson, to Khris Davis, every generation was represented.
NBC Sports California will be joining the celebration by looking back at the Athletics’ 50 memorable moments in Oakland. There will of course be plenty of team accomplishments, like Oakland’s four World Series titles and “The Streak,” as well as individual achievements, including Dave Stewart’s no-hitter, Dallas Braden’s perfect game, Mark McGwire’s rookie home run record, and Rickey’s stolen base record.
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We will also include some of the less obvious moments - do you remember Randy Velarde’s unassisted triple play? Or Josh Reddick’s “Spiderman” catch? How about Derek Norris' walk-off home run to beat the Giants in 2012?
In 2012, the A's won the AL West in the final game of the season. In 2013, Josh Donaldson took on the tarp and won. In 2014, Yoenis Cespedes made arguably the greatest throw in baseball history to gun down Howie Kendrick at the plate.
In 2016, Khris Davis hit three home runs in a game, including a walk-off grand slam. Just last season, Matt Olson homered in five straight games as a rookie, and Matt Chapman made a catch while leaping over a Gatorade jug.
Start thinking about your favorite memory in Oakland A’s history. Fans will have the opportunity to vote all season long and determine which moment is the best of the best.