With eight games left in the MLB’s regular season, the Oakland Athletics sit at 93-61 and two games ahead of the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League wild-card standings.
After getting beat down in the Bronx in last year’s wild-card game, the Athletics are now looking at hosting their first playoff game since their 2013 ALDS. loss to the Detroit Tigers. This year’s Athletics, in many ways, are much better than the 2018 version of the team that won 97 games.
They’re outpacing last year’s team in most traditional offensive metrics — even despite Khris Davis’ drop-off — and are now sporting the most efficient defense in the major leagues, per Fangraphs.