1994 Oakland Athletics season
| 1994 Oakland Athletics | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Results | |
| Record | 51–63 (.447) |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Walter A. Haas, Jr. |
| General manager(s) | Sandy Alderson |
| Manager(s) | Tony La Russa |
| Local television |
KRON-TV (, Ray Fosse) Sports Channel Pacific (Ray Fosse, Greg Papa) |
| Local radio |
KFRC (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ray Fosse) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The Oakland Athletics' 1994 season was the team's 27th in Oakland, California. It was also the 94th season in franchise history. The team finished second in the American League West with a record of 51-63.
The Athletics' 1994 campaign ranks among the most unusual in franchise history. A disastrous 1993 campaign, attributable mainly to inept pitching, had tempered expectations in Oakland; while several established stars (namely Dennis Eckersley, Bob Welch, Terry Steinbach, Mark McGwire, and a recently re-signed Rickey Henderson) remained with the team in 1994, questions about the starting rotation, bullpen, and infield kept expectations low.
The Athletics belied these low expectations with a respectable 7-5 start. The team's pitching staff continued to hemorrhage runs (allowing 79 in 12 games); the staff was bailed out, however, by their red-hot offense (which scored 93 runs over the same span). On April 17 (the day of Oakland's seventh win), the A's found themselves 1.5 games ahead of the second-place California Angels.
The Athletics' offense soon cooled down, however. This drop in production, combined with continued pitching woes, set the stage for a monumental collapse. Between April 19 and May 29, Oakland lost 31 games in 37 tries; at the end of this span, their record stood at a ghastly 13-36. The A's, now firmly in last place, trailed the division-leading Angels (who also boasted a sub-.500 record) by nine games. Oakland continued to lose ground over the following two weeks; at their absolute nadir, the Athletics' 19-43 record trailed the division-leading Rangers (who had since overtaken the Angels) by 12.5 games. Oakland's season, by all accounts, seemed finished.
The A's, instead, launched themselves back into contention with a stunning turnaround. Over their next 22 games, the Athletics went 19-3; this surge raised their record to a semi-respectable 38-46. Oakland's much-maligned pitching staff powered the resurgence; over the 22-game span, Athletics pitchers allowed a scant 3.27 runs per game (while pitching six shutouts). The rest of the division struggled over the same span; as such, Oakland's 38th victory allowed it to pull within three games of the first-place Rangers. The A's cooled down in subsequent weeks; poor play from the rest of the division, however, allowed them to gain further ground. The team ultimately finished with a 51-63 record; despite being 12 games under .500, the A's were only one game behind the first-place Rangers. Amazingly, all four of the American League West's teams would finish the strike-shortened season with losing records. This is the only such instance in MLB history.
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