2010 Oakland Athletics season
| 2010 Oakland Athletics | |
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| Results | |
| Record | 81–81 (.500) |
| Divisional place | 2nd |
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| Owner(s) | Lewis Wolff |
| General manager(s) | Billy Beane |
| Manager(s) | Bob Geren |
| Local television |
Comcast SportsNet California (Glen Kuiper, Ray Fosse) |
| Local radio |
KTRB (Ken Korach, Vince Cotroneo, Ray Fosse) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The Oakland Athletics' 2010 season was their 42nd in Oakland, California. It was also the 110th season in franchise history. The team finished second in the American League West with a record of 81-81.
The Athletics' 2010 season is remembered mainly for Dallas Braden's perfect game. Braden accomplished the feat on May 9, 2010 against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays had the league's best record at the time.
The season also saw Oakland's starting rotation improve greatly. The Athletics, led by a trio of promising young starters (Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Brett Anderson), ultimately posted the American League's lowest earned run average in 2010. All told, the team allowed some 135 fewer runs than it did in 2009. Cahill, along with closer Andrew Bailey, would be rewarded for their strong performance with All-Star selections.
The 2010 season was the only non-losing season of manager Bob Geren's tenure. Geren would ultimately be fired midway through the Athletics' 2011 season.
On Mother's Day, Braden pitches 19th perfect game in major league history against the MLB best, Tampa Bay Rays, who for the second time in less than a year were on the wrong side. The Rays less than two weeks before had hit Braden up for four runs on eight hits over just four innings. May 9 was the second perfect game in the Athletics' Oakland tenure, coming 42 years and 1 day after Catfish Hunter's game and first no-hitter by an Athletics pitcher since Dave Stewart's on June 29, 1990. Braden's batterymate was Landon Powell, who was drafted the same year as Braden and had caught him in all levels of pro ball. In the top of fifth, Evan Longoria broke a so-called "unwritten rule" by attempting to break up the perfect game with a bunt, but rolled foul and ended up striking out. All 12,228 fans weren't too thrilled to see Tampa's best hitter try to lay down a bunt, as Manager Joe Maddon said, "to get things going." Powell said that he started getting neverous around the sixth inning and was more excited about going back to behind the plate than hitting. He finished throwing 109 pitches with six strikeouts, which is tied for third fewest.
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