Athletics (baseball)

{{main|Philadelphia Athletics|Kansas City Athletics|Oakland Athletics|History of the Athletics}}

The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans from 1901 to the present day, having begun in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 and then to its home in Oakland, California, in 1968. The A's made their Bay Area debut on Wednesday, April 17, 1968, with a 4–1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at the Coliseum, in front of an opening-night crowd of 50,164.Boxscore from Baseball-Reference.com [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK196804170.shtml "Wednesday, April 17, 1968, 7:46PM, Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum"] With four locations, the A's have had the most home cities of any MLB team.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/oakland-athletics-las-vegas-move-history-of-mlb-relocation-expos-senators-pilots-braves-dodgers-giants-orioles/ |publisher=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=May 5, 2024 |date=November 16, 2023 |title=After MLB approves A's Las Vegas move, a look at the history of relocation |department=Sports}}

The Athletics' name originated in the term "Athletic Club" for local gentlemen's clubs—dates to 1860 when an amateur baseball team, the Athletic (Club) of Philadelphia, was formed. The team later turned professional in 1875, becoming a charter member of the National League in 1876, but were expelled from the N.L. after one season. A later version of the Athletics played in the American Association from 1882 to 1891.{{Citation |last=Gallegos|first=Martin|title=How they came to be called the A's |website= MLB|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/oakland-athletics-team-name-origin|date=December 1, 2021|access-date=October 29, 2024}}

The familiar blackletter "A" is one of the oldest sports logos still in use. An image in Harper's Weekly with the rival Brooklyn Atlantics shows that the "A" appeared on the original Athletics' uniform as early as 1866.{{Cite web|title=r/ClassicBaseball - Amazing 1866 Harper's Weekly woodcut engraving of the Brooklyn Atlantics and Philadelphia Athletics, from the National Association Of Base Ball Players league.|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ClassicBaseball/comments/3730uy/amazing_1866_harpers_weekly_woodcut_engraving_of/|access-date=August 16, 2021|work=reddit|date=May 24, 2015}}

After New York Giants manager John McGraw told reporters that Philadelphia manufacturer Benjamin Shibe, who owned the controlling interest in the new team, had a "white elephant on his hands", team manager Connie Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team mascot, and presented McGraw with a stuffed toy elephant at the start of the 1905 World Series.{{cite web|title=Logos and Mascots|url=http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/history/uniforms_logos.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204074811/http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/history/uniforms_logos.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |website=MLB.com|access-date=September 26, 2016}} McGraw and Mack had known each other for years, and McGraw accepted it graciously. By {{mlby|1909}}, the A's were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters, and in 1918 it turned up on the regular uniform jersey for the first time.{{cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/elephant-in-the-room|title=The Elephant in the Room|last=Odell|first=John|publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame|website=BaseballHall.org|accessdate=June 2, 2024}}

In 1963, when the A's were located in Kansas City, then-owner Charlie Finley changed the team mascot from an elephant to a mule, the state animal of Missouri. This is rumored to have been done by Finley in order to appeal to fans from the region who were predominantly Democrats at the time. (Traditionally, the symbol for the Republican Party is an elephant, while the Democratic Party's symbol is a donkey.){{Cite web|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/oakland-athletics-kansas-city-throwbacks-green-gold-uniforms-charlie-o-missouri-mule/1x8d8mnwo4gmq1t6oyiw1rzqxi|title=The A's celebrate KC roots with green and gold uniforms — and a mule named Charlie O|website=www.sportingnews.com|date=June 25, 2015|access-date=October 25, 2019}} From {{mlby|1988}}, the Athletics' 21st season in Oakland, through their final season in Oakland in 2024, an illustration of an elephant adorned the left sleeve of the A's home and road uniforms. Ahead of the team's first season in Sacramento, the elephant patch was removed and replaced with one depicting Sacramento's Tower Bridge.{{Cite web |title=2025 Sacramento Patch Reveal {{!}} Athletics |url=https://www.mlb.com/athletics/fans/patch-reveal |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

Beginning in the mid-1980s, the on-field costumed incarnation of the A's elephant mascot went by the name Harry Elephante, a play on the name of singer Harry Belafonte.{{cite web|last=Hill|first=Angela|url=http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2007/05/22/mascots-you-dont-see-on-sports-sidelines/|title=Mascots you don't see on sports sidelines|work=East Bay Times|date=May 22, 2007}} In 1997, he became Stomper, debuting Opening Night on April 2.{{cite web|url=http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/fan_forum/kids/stomper/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130194311/http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/fan_forum/kids/stomper/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 30, 2016|title=Stomper's Place|work=Oakland Athletics}}{{cite web |title=Stomper: The Oakland A's Mascot |url=https://www.mlb.com/athletics/fans/stomper |website=MLB.com |access-date=April 19, 2020}}

Over the seasons, the Athletics' uniforms have paid homage to their amateur forebears. Until 1954, when the uniforms had "Athletics" spelled out in script across the front, the team's name never appeared on either home or road uniforms. Furthermore, neither "Philadelphia" nor the letter "P" appeared on the uniform or cap. The Philadelphia uniform had only a script "A" on the left front, and likewise the cap usually had the same "A" on it. In the early days of the American League, the standings listed the club as "Athletic" rather than "Philadelphia", in keeping with the old tradition. Eventually, the city name came to be used for the team, as with the other major league clubs.

After buying the team in 1960, owner Charles O. Finley introduced road uniforms with "Kansas City" printed on them, with an interlocking "KC" on the cap. Upon moving to Oakland, the "A" cap emblem was restored, and in 1970 an "apostrophe-s" was added to the cap and uniform emblem to reflect that Finley was officially changing the team's name to the "A's".

While in Kansas City, Finley changed the team's colors from their traditional red, white and blue to kelly green and gold.{{cite news|last=Clair|first=Michael|title=Why do the A's wear green? You can thank Charlie Finley|url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/the-a-s-wear-green-because-of-charlie-finley-c219365416?msockid=2ff5c8bd3b50631d1e83ddc43a7d6205|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=January 6, 2018|quote=Before Finley came on board, the then-Kansas City A's wore baseball's standard blue-and-red combination. In 1963, that all changed as Finley outfitted the team in glorious gold (Finley said it was the same shade the United States Naval Academy used) and kelly green for the very first time.|url-status=live}} It was here that he began experimenting with dramatic uniforms to match these bright colors, such as gold sleeveless tops with green undershirts and gold pants. The uniform innovations increased after the team's move to Oakland, which came with the introduction of polyester pullover uniforms.

During their dynasty years in the 1970s, the A's had dozens of uniform combinations with jerseys and pants in all three team colors, and never wore the traditional gray on the road, instead wearing green or gold, which helped to contribute to their nickname of "The Swingin' A's". After the team's sale to the Haas family, the team changed its primary color to a more subdued forest green in 1982 and began a move back to more traditional uniforms.

The 2023 team wore home uniforms with "Athletics" spelled out in script writing and road uniforms with "Oakland" spelled out in script writing, with the cap logo consisting of the traditional "A" with "apostrophe-s". The home cap, which was also the team's road cap until 1992, is forest green with a gold bill and white lettering. This design was also the basis of their batting helmet, which is used both at home and on the road. The road cap, which initially debuted in 1993, is all-forest green. The first version had the white "A's" wordmark before it was changed to gold the following season. An all-forest green batting helmet was paired with this cap until 2008. In 2014, the "A's" wordmark returned to white but added gold trim.

From 1994 until 2013, the A's wore green alternate jerseys with the word "Athletics" in gold, for both road and home games.

During the 2000s, the Athletics introduced black as one of their colors. They began wearing a black alternate jersey with "Athletics" written in green. After a brief discontinuance, the A's brought back the black jersey, this time with "Athletics" written in white with gold highlights. The cap paired with this jersey is all-black, initially with the green and white-trimmed "A's" wordmark, before switching to a white and gold-trimmed "A's" wordmark. Commercially popular but rarely chosen as the alternate by players, the black uniform was retired in 2011 in favor of a gold alternate jersey.

The gold alternate has "A's" in green trimmed in white on the left chest. With the exception of several road games during the 2011 season, the Athletics' gold uniforms were used as the designated home alternates. A green version of their gold alternates was introduced for the 2014 season, serving as a replacement to the previous green alternates. The new green alternates featured the piping, "A's" and lettering in white with gold trim.

In 2018, as part of the franchise's 50th anniversary since the move to Oakland, the A's wore a kelly green alternate uniform with "Oakland" in white with gold trim, and was paired with an all-kelly green cap.{{cite press release|title=Oakland A's to wear kelly green alternate jersey for Friday home games|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/oakland-as-to-wear-kelly-green-alternate-jersey-for-friday-home-games/c-265421378|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=January 26, 2018|access-date=January 27, 2018}} This set was later worn with an alternate kelly green helmet with gold visor. This uniform eventually supplanted the gold alternates by 2019, and in 2022, after the forest green alternate was retired, it became the team's only active alternate uniform.

The nickname "A's" has long been used interchangeably with "Athletics", dating to the team's early days when headline writers used it to shorten the name. From 1972 through 1980, the team name was officially "Oakland A's", although the Commissioner's Trophy, given out annually to the winner of baseball's World Series, still listed the team's name as the "Oakland Athletics" on the gold-plated pennant representing the Oakland franchise. According to Bill Libby's Book, Charlie O and the Angry A's, owner Charlie O. Finley banned the word "Athletics" from the club's name because he felt that name was too closely associated with former Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack, and he wanted the name "Oakland A's" to become just as closely associated with him. The name also vaguely suggested the name of the old minor league Oakland Oaks, which were alternatively called the "Acorns". New owner Walter Haas restored the official name to "Athletics" in 1981, but retained the nickname "A's" for marketing. At first, the word "Athletics" was restored only to the club's logo, underneath the much larger stylized-"A" that had come to represent the team since the early days. By 1987, however, the word returned, in script lettering, to the front of the team's jerseys.

After the team's departure from Oakland, the existing uniform set was mostly retained aside from the wordmark on the road uniform being changed from "Oakland" to "Athletics". The gold alternate uniform also returned after it was last worn in 2018.{{cite news|title=Athletics unveil throwback gold uniform to launch new era|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-unveil-gold-uniform-for-first-season-in-sacramento|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=February 21, 2025|access-date=February 22, 2025}} From 2025 to 2027, while the team temporarily plays its home games in West Sacramento, all of its uniforms feature the "Athletics" wordmark, with no mention of a home city. However, all uniforms feature a green logo patch on one sleeve depicting one of the towers of the Sacramento Tower Bridge and "Sacramento" written under it in yellow text to commemorate the team's temporary home. On the other sleeve, an ad patch sponsoring the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ("LAS Vegas" tourism logo) was added; both patches are worn interchangeably depending on a player's handedness, with the ad patch typically the more visible mark when a player bats.{{cite web|title='This is real': A's unveil Las Vegas jersey patch for 2025 season|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-las-vegas-jersey-patch-2025 |date=March 7, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=MLB.com}}

Prior to the mid-2010s, the A's had a long-standing tradition of wearing white cleats team-wide (in line with the standard MLB practice that required all uniformed team members to wear a base cleat color), which dated to the Finley ownership. Since the mid-2010s, however, MLB has gradually relaxed its shoe color rules, and several A's players began wearing cleats in non-white colors, such as Jed Lowrie's green cleats.

{{main|New Las Vegas Stadium|Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas}}

Following the California Golden Seals' relocation to Cleveland in 1976, the Golden State Warriors' move across the bay to San Francisco in 2019, and the Oakland Raiders' move to the Las Vegas metropolitan area in 2020, the Athletics were left as the sole remaining major professional sports team in Oakland. However, on April 20, 2023, the Athletics announced they had entered a land purchase agreement with Red Rock Resort located near Las Vegas to build a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, finalizing their plans to relocate to the Las Vegas area.{{Cite web |last1=Stutz |first1=Howard |last2=Mueller |first2=Tabitha |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Sources: Lombardo, lawmakers on board with planned $1 billion Las Vegas baseball stadium |url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/sources-lombardo-lawmakers-on-board-with-planned-1-billion-las-vegas-baseball-stadium |access-date=April 20, 2023 |work=The Nevada Independent}}{{Cite news |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Oakland A's close in on move to Las Vegas after signing land deal for stadium |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/apr/20/oakland-athletics-las-vegas-relocation-stadium |access-date=April 20, 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Dubow |first=Josh |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Oakland A's purchase land for new stadium in Las Vegas |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/oakland-a-s-purchase-land-for-new-stadium-in-las-17907772.php |access-date=April 20, 2023 |work=SFGate|agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Oakland A's agree to purchase land near Las Vegas Strip |url=https://abc7news.com/sports/oakland-as-agree-to-purchase-land-near-las-vegas-strip/13157727/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |work=KGO-TV}} On May 9, 2023, the Athletics switched their planned location in the Las Vegas area to the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino, which was subsequently demolished in October to construct a 33,000-seat partially retractable ballpark and a 1,500-room hotel and casino.{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2023 |title=A's pivot to new site for Vegas baseball stadium, lowering public funding request |url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/as-pivot-to-new-site-for-vegas-baseball-stadium-lowering-public-funding-request |access-date=May 9, 2023 |work=The Nevada Independent}}{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Shannon |title=Time to say goodbye to Tropicana Las Vegas, set for implosion this week |url=https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/2024/oct/03/time-to-say-goodbye-to-tropicana-las-vegas/ |access-date=October 9, 2024 |work=Las Vegas Weekly |date=October 3, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Tisminezky |first=Ryan |title=Tropicana Las Vegas receives implosion permit, asbestos abatement complete |url=https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/tropicana-las-vegas-receives-implosion-permit-asbestos-abatement-complete/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |work=KLAS |date=September 24, 2024}} By June 15, 2023, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed an MLB stadium funding bill known as SB1 into law after the bill was approved by the Nevada Legislature, and the Athletics officially announced they would begin the relocation process.{{Cite web |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Nevada governor signs A's stadium funding bill |url=https://www.8newsnow.com/sports/local-sports/las-vegas-as/nevada-governor-signs-as-stadium-funding-bill/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921214417/https://www.8newsnow.com/sports/local-sports/las-vegas-as/nevada-governor-signs-as-stadium-funding-bill/ |archive-date=September 21, 2023 |access-date=June 16, 2023 |work=KLAS}}

On November 16, 2023, the Athletics' move to Las Vegas was unanimously approved by MLB team owners.{{Cite web |last=Farkas |first=Brady |date=November 19, 2023 |title=An Interesting Nugget About the Oakland Athletics' Relocation to Las Vegas |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/new-report-shows-that-oakland-athletics-owner-john-fisher-will-be-heavily-punished-if-he-tries-to-sell-the-team-following-relocation |access-date=November 23, 2023 |website=Fastball |language=en}} According to the team, the new Las Vegas ballpark will not be completed until 2028. The lease to the Oakland Coliseum expired after the 2024 season. Before the scheduled move to Las Vegas in 2028, the team will play in West Sacramento, California, at Sutter Health Park (home of the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats) for the 2025–2027 seasons (with an option for the 2028 season if necessary).{{Cite tweet |number=1775898900282687717 |user=Athletics |title=Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will host the A's for the 2025-27 seasons - ahead of the team's move to Vegas in 2028. |date=April 4, 2024 |access-date=April 4, 2024 |link=https://x.com/Athletics/status/1775898900282687717 |quote=}} While in West Sacramento the team will be referred to as simply the "A's" and "Athletics," with no city name attached. The relocation will mark the first move by an MLB team since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., becoming the Washington Nationals in 2005.

{{See also|Bay Bridge Series}}

The Bay Bridge Series is the name of a series of games played between (and the rivalry of) the A's and San Francisco Giants of the National League. The series takes its name from the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge which links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Although competitive, the regional rivalry between the A's and Giants is considered a friendly one with mostly mutual companionship between the fans, as opposed to White Sox–Cubs, or Yankees–Mets games where animosity runs high. Hats displaying both teams on the cap are sold from vendors at the games, and once in a while the teams both dress in original team uniforms from the early era of baseball.

The series is also occasionally referred to as the "BART Series" for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system that links Oakland to San Francisco. However, the name "BART Series" has never been popular beyond a small selection of history books and national broadcasters and has fallen out of favor. Bay Area locals almost exclusively refer to the rivalry as the "Battle of the Bay".{{cite web |url=https://us.bolavip.com/mlb/15-biggest-mlb-rivalries-of-all-time-20200727-0002.html |title=15 biggest MLB rivalries of all time |website=bolavip.com |last=Cova |first=Ernesto |date=May 27, 2021 |access-date=January 13, 2022 }}

Originally, the term described a series of exhibition games played between the two clubs after the conclusion of spring training, immediately prior to the start of the regular season. It was first used to refer to the 1989 World Series in which the Athletics won their most recent championship and the first time the teams had met since they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area (and the first time they had met since the A's also defeated the Giants in the 1913 World Series). Today, it also refers to games played between the teams during the regular season since the commencement of interleague play in 1997. Through the 2024 regular season, the Athletics have won 76 games, and the Giants have won 72 contests.{{cite web |title=Head-to-head record for Oakland Athletics against the listed opponents from 1997 to 2024 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/games/head2head.cgi?teams=OAK&from=1997&to=2024 |work=baseball-reference.com}}

Through the 2024 season, the A's also have edges on the Giants in terms of overall postseason appearances (21–13), division titles (17–10) and World Series titles (4–3) since both teams moved to the Bay Area, even though the Giants franchise moved there a decade earlier than the A's did.

On March 24, 2018, the Oakland A's announced that for the Sunday, March 25, 2018, exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants, A's fans would be charged $30 for parking and Giants fans would be charged $50. However, the A's stated that Giants fans could receive $20 off if they shout "Go A's" at the parking gates.{{Cite news|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2766384-athletics-offer-20-parking-discount-to-giants-fans-who-yell-go-as-at-gates|title=Athletics Offer $20 Parking Discount to Giants Fans Who Yell 'Go A's' at Gates|last=Goldberg|first=Ron|date=March 24, 2018|work=Bleacher Report|access-date=March 26, 2018}}

In 2018, the Athletics and Giants started battling for a "Bay Bridge" Trophy{{Cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-giants-unveil-bay-bridge-trophy/c-269789752 | title=Athletics, Giants unveil Bay Bridge trophy| website=MLB.com}} made from steel taken from the old east span of the Bay Bridge, which was taken down after the new span was opened in 2013.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Bay-Bridge-Now-Open-to-Public-222062721.html |title=New Bay Bridge Opens Ahead of Schedule - NBC Bay Area |access-date=October 19, 2018 |archive-date=October 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020011527/https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Bay-Bridge-Now-Open-to-Public-222062721.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web | url=https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/09/08/old-bay-bridge-piers-demolish/ | title=Last 2 Piers of the Old Bay Bridge Demolished| date=September 8, 2018}} The A's won the inaugural season with the trophy, allowing them to place their logo atop its Bay Bridge stand.{{Cite web | url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/As-Take-Bay-Bridge-Series-With-Another-Walkoff-Win-Over-the-Giants-488844751.html |title = A's Take Bay Bridge Series with Another Walkoff Win over the Giants| date=July 22, 2018 }} When the A's left Oakland, the Giants had won the trophy 4 times, to the A's 3.

{{See also|Angels–Athletics rivalry}}

The A's have held a rivalry with the Los Angeles Angels since their relocation to California in 1968, and the charter membership of both teams in the AL West in 1969. The A's and Angels have often competed for the division title.{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/112065-oakland-as-la-angels-the-fight-for-the-west|title=Oakland A's, LA Angels: The Fight For The West|work=Bleacher Report}} The peak of the rivalry was during the early part of the millennium as both teams were perennial contenders. During the {{mlby|2002}} season, the A's famous "Moneyball" tactics led them to a league record 20-game winning streak, knocking the Angels out of the first seed in the division. The A's finished 4 games ahead while the Angels secured the Wild Card berth.{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/jenkins/article/A-s-Angels-rivalry-30-years-in-making-After-3325207.php|title=A's-Angels rivalry 30 years in making / After decades, rivalry is heated|newspaper=SFGate|last1=Jenkins|first1=Bruce}} Despite the 103-win season for Oakland, they lost to the underdog Minnesota Twins in the ALDS. The Angels beat the heavily favored New York Yankees, then beat the Twins, and then won the 2002 World Series. During the {{mlby|2004}} season, the teams were tied for wins headed into the final week of September with the last three games being played in Oakland against the Angels.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-athletics-baxter-20140829-story.html|title=Angels-Athletics is becoming a real rivalry|work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 29, 2014 }} Both teams were battling to secure the division championship. Oakland lost two of the three games to the Angels, and they were eliminated from the playoff hunt. The Angels were swept in the playoffs by the eventual champion Boston Red Sox.{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/2012/9/10/3313359/as-angels-rivalry-wild-card-standings|title=A's vs. Angels: The Rivalry That Should Be (And Eventually Will)|date=September 10, 2012 }} The Athletics lead the series 541–491, and the two teams have yet to meet in the postseason.

{{See also|City Series (Philadelphia)}}

The City Series was the name of baseball games played between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League, that ran from 1903 through 1955. After the A's move to Kansas City in 1955, the City Series rivalry came to an end. Since the introduction of interleague play in 1997, the teams have since faced each other during the regular season (with the first games taking place in 2003) but the rivalry had effectively died in the intervening years since the A's left Philadelphia. In 2014, when the A's faced the Phillies in inter-league play at the Oakland Coliseum, the Athletics did not bother to mark the historical connection, going so far as to have a Connie Mack promotion the day before the series while the Texas Rangers were in Oakland.{{cite web|url=http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=oak&y=2014|title=2014 Promotional Schedule|website=Oakland Athletics|access-date=March 4, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090104/http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=oak&y=2014|url-status=dead}}

The first City Series was held in 1883 between the Phillies and the American Association Philadelphia Athletics.{{cite book|title=Movin' on Up: Baseball and Philadelphia Then, Now, and Always|last=Burgoyne|first=Tom|year=2004|publisher=B B& A Publishers|isbn=0-9754419-3-0|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yba-wMVloosC&q=Phillies+Athletics+city+series&pg=PA128}} When the Athletics first joined the American League, the two teams played each other in a spring and fall series. No City Series was held in 1901 and 1902 because of legal warring between the National League and American League.

{{main|Athletics award winners and league leaders}}

• The Athletics give out an award named the Catfish Hunter Award since 2004 for the most inspirational Athletic.

{{Main|List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame}}

{{Baseball hall of fame list

|Current Team Name = Athletics

| All Team Names = Athletics

| ColorA# = 003831

| ColorB# = FFFFFF

| ColorC# = EFB21E

| ColorD# = 003831

| Team Name 1 = Philadelphia Athletics

| List 1.1 = Home Run Baker *
Chief Bender *
Ty Cobb
Mickey Cochrane *

| List 1.2 = Eddie Collins
Jimmy Collins
Stan Coveleski
Elmer Flick

| List 1.3 = Nellie Fox
Jimmie Foxx *
Lefty Grove *
Waite Hoyt
George Kell

| List 1.4 = Nap Lajoie
Connie Mack *
Herb Pennock
Eddie Plank *

| List 1.5 = Al Simmons *
Tris Speaker
Rube Waddell *
Zack Wheat

| Team Name 2 = Kansas City Athletics

| List 2.1 = Luke Appling

| List 2.2 = Lou Boudreau

| List 2.3 = Whitey Herzog
Tommy Lasorda

| List 2.4 = Satchel Paige

| List 2.5 = Enos Slaughter

| Team Name 3 = Oakland Athletics

| List 3.1 = Dick Allen
Harold Baines
Orlando Cepeda
Dennis Eckersley *

| List 3.2 = Rollie Fingers *
Goose Gossage
Rickey Henderson *
Catfish Hunter *

| List 3.3 = Reggie Jackson *
Tony La Russa
Willie McCovey
Joe Morgan

| List 3.4 = Dave Parker
Mike Piazza
Tim Raines
Don Sutton

| List 3.5 = Frank Thomas
Billy Williams
Dick Williams

| Team Name 4 =

| List 4.1 =

| List 4.2 =

| List 4.3 =

| List 4.4 =

| List 4.5 =

| Footnote1 = * Philadelphia / Kansas City / Oakland Athletics listed as primary team according to the Hall of Fame

| Footnote2 =

| Footnote3 =

| Footnote4 =

|}}

{{Ford C. Frick award list

|Current Team Name = Oakland Athletics

| All Team Names = Athletics

| ColorA# = 003831

| ColorB# = FFFFFF

| ColorC# = EFB21E

| ColorD# = 003831

| List 1 = Harry Caray
Herb Carneal

| List 2 =

| List 3 = Al Helfer
Bill King

| List 4 =

| List 5 = By Saam
Lon Simmons

| Footnote1 =

| Footnote2 =

| Footnote3 =

| Footnote4 =

|}}

{{See also|List of Major League Baseball retired numbers}}

The Athletics have retired six numbers; additionally, Walter A. Haas, Jr., owner of the team from 1980 until his death in 1995, was honored by the retirement of the letter "A". Of the six players with retired numbers, five were retired for their play with the Athletics and one, 42, was universally retired by Major League Baseball when they honored the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier. No A's player from the Philadelphia era has his number retired by the organization. Though Jackson and Hunter played small portions of their careers in Kansas City, no player that played the majority of his years in the Kansas City era has his number retired either. The A's have retired only the numbers of Hall-of-Famers who played large portions of their careers in Oakland. The Athletics have all of the numbers of the Hall-of-Fame players from the Philadelphia Athletics displayed at their stadium, as well as all of the years that the Philadelphia Athletics won World Championships (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, and 1930). Dave Stewart was about to have his #34 jersey retired by the Athletics in 2020, but the ceremony was postponed until further notice, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions were raised if there would be a formal ceremony after no news about a reschedule happened in 2021 before it was announced in April 2022 that Stewart would have his jersey retired on September 11, 2022.{{cite tweet|number=1514016584682991620|user=Dsmoke34|title=@GlennRecon I have no idea what the A's are doing. At this point they can just retire the number with no celebratio…|date=April 12, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Miedema |first1=Laurence |title=A's Announce Date to Retire Former Ace Dave Stewart's No. 34 |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/04/22/as-announce-date-to-retire-dave-stewarts-no-34/ |access-date=April 27, 2022 |work=The Mercury News |date=April 22, 2022}} Stewart broke the A's tradition in that his number was a re-retirement, as well as his not being in the Hall of Fame.

{{retired number list|

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired09.PNG|alt=9|name=Reggie
Jackson|pos=RF
 |date=May 22, 2004}}

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired24.png|size=104px|alt=24|name=Rickey
Henderson|pos=LF
 |date=August 1, 2009}}

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired27.PNG|alt=27|name=Catfish
Hunter|pos=P
 |date=June 9, 1991}}

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired34.PNG|alt=34|name=Rollie
Fingers|pos=P
 |date=July 5, 1993}}

{{retired number|image=Stewart34.png|alt=34|name=Dave
Stewart|pos=P
 |date=September 11, 2022}}

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired43.PNG|alt=43|name=Dennis
Eckersley|pos=P
 |date=August 13, 2005}}

{{retired number|image=OaklandRetired42.PNG|alt=42|name=Jackie
Robinson|pos=All MLB
 |date=April 15, 1997}}

{{retired number|image=WalterHaas.png|alt=A|name=Walter A.
Haas Jr.|pos=Owner
 |honored=
1995}}

}}

On August 14, 2018, the team publicly announced the creation of a team Hall of Fame, complete with the first seven names to be inducted.{{cite web | url=https://www.athleticsnation.com/2018/8/14/17690748/oakland-as-athletics-hall-of-fame | title=Oakland A's announce the Athletics Hall of Fame | date=August 14, 2018 }} On September 5, the Athletics held a ceremony to induct seven members into the inaugural class. Each member was honored with an unveiling of a painting in their likeness and a bright green jacket. Hunter, who died in 1999, was represented by his widow, while Finley, who died in 1996, was represented by his son. If the team ever gets a new stadium, a physical site will be designated for the Hall of Fame, as the Coliseum does not have enough space for a full-fledged exhibit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/athletics/history/athletics-hall-of-fame|title=Athletics Hall of Fame|website=MLB.com}} In August 2021, it was announced that players Sal Bando, Eric Chavez, Joe Rudi, director of player development Keith Lieppman, and clubhouse manager Steve "Vuc" Vucinich would be part of the class of 2022; in November 2021, Ray Fosse, who had died the previous month, was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-a-s-announce-five-members-of-athletics-hall-of-fame-class-of-2022 | title=A's announce five members of the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022; fans can vote to help select final member | website=MLB.com }}{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-a-s-to-induct-ray-fosse-into-athletics-hall-of-fame-in-2022 | title=A's to Induct Ray Fosse into Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022 | website=MLB.com }} The 2023 & 2024 classes were inducted in August of each respective year.{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-hall-of-fame-class-of-2023-announcement | title=Giambi, Lansford among 5 to enter A's Hall of Fame Class in 2023 | website=MLB.com }}{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/mlb/athletics/to-celebrate-coliseum-remainder-of-2024 | title=A's to Celebrate the Coliseum for the Remainder of 2024 | date=April 5, 2024 }}

File:Dave Stewart on August 1, 2009.jpg, Oakland Athletics pitcher from 1986 to 1992 and 1995]]

{{Main|Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame}}

17 members of the Athletics organization have been honored with induction into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

{{See also|Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame}}

The Athletics have all of the numbers of the Hall-of-Fame players from the Philadelphia Athletics displayed at their stadium, as well as all of the years that the Philadelphia Athletics won World Championships (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, and 1930).

Also, from 1978 to 2003 (except 1983), the Philadelphia Phillies inducted one former Athletic (and one former Phillie) each year into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame at the then-existing Veterans Stadium. 25 Athletics have been honored. In March 2004, after Veterans Stadium was replaced by the new Citizens Bank Park, the Athletics' plaques were relocated to the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society in Hatboro, Pennsylvania,For photos of the A's Wall of Fame plaques, see [http://philadelphiaathletics.org/museum.html Philadelphia A's Society Museum and Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051229220635/http://philadelphiaathletics.org/museum.html |date=December 29, 2005 }} webpage. Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. Retrieved September 23, 2010.[http://philadelphiaathletics.org/index.html Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927224059/http://philadelphiaathletics.org/index.html |date=September 27, 2010}} official website. Retrieved September 23, 2010.{{cite web|first=Frank|last=Fitzpatrick|title=Demographics may doom the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20110222_Demographics_may_doom_the_Philadelphia_Athletics_Historical_Society.html|date=February 22, 2011|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|access-date=February 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226071546/http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20110222_Demographics_may_doom_the_Philadelphia_Athletics_Historical_Society.html|archive-date=February 26, 2011|url-status=dead}} and a single plaque listing all of the A's inductees was attached to a statue of Connie Mack that is located across the street from Citizens Bank Park.For photos of the plaque, see {{cite web|url=http://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/event/20040605walloffameday.htm|title=Wall of Fame Day in Hatboro, Pennsylvania|last=Montella|first=Ernie|date=June 5, 2004|publisher=Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society|access-date=September 23, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219001008/http://philadelphiaathletics.org/event/20040605walloffameday.htm|archive-date=December 19, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/event/walloffameplaques.htm|title=Vet Plaques Come to Hatboro|last=Jordan|first=David M.|publisher=Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society|access-date=September 23, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906180700/http://philadelphiaathletics.org/event/walloffameplaques.htm|archive-date=September 6, 2008}}

{{Main|Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame}}

• 6 Sal Bando, 3B, 1969–1976

{{Main|List of Athletics seasons}}

The records of the Athletics' last ten seasons in Major League Baseball are listed below.

• Columbia Park ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1908}})
• Shibe Park ({{mlby|1909}}–{{mlby|1954}})

• Municipal Stadium ({{mlby|1955}}–{{mlby|1967}})

• Oakland Coliseum ({{mlby|1968}}–{{mlby|2024}})
• Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada (April {{mlby|1996}} for six games due to renovations at Oakland Coliseum)

• Sutter Health Park ({{mlby|2025}}–present)

{{See also|Athletics all-time roster}}

{{Oakland Athletics roster}}

{{Main|List of Athletics minor league affiliates}}

The Athletics farm system consists of six minor league affiliates.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/affiliate.cgi?id=OAK|title=Athletics Minor League Affiliates|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=October 20, 2023}}

{{See also|List of Athletics broadcasters}}

As of the 2020 season, the Athletics have had 14 radio homes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/13/oakland-as-95-7-the-game-splitting-ways-on-a-very-bitter-note/|title=Oakland A's confirm split with radio flagship via Twitter|date=October 13, 2018|work=The Mercury News|access-date=October 29, 2018|language=en-US}} The Athletics' flagship radio station is KSTE{{cite news |last1=Padilla |first1=Cecilio |title=A's announce new Sacramento radio station home for regular season broadcasts |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sacramento-athletics-radio-station-talk-650-kste/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=CBS Sacramento |date=February 14, 2025}} and the team has a free live 24/7 exclusive A's station branded as A's Cast to stream the radio broadcast within the Athletics market and other A's programming via iHeartRadio.{{cite tweet |author=San Francisco Chronicle |user=sfchronicle |number=1288961560686333952 |date=July 30, 2020 |title=JUST IN: The Oakland A's - who had planned to provide streaming-only service for its audio broadcasts in the Bay Area - will partner with 960 AM radio station starting Friday. https://t.co/BE7zJ2pv6M |language=en |access-date=December 31, 2020}} Going into the 2020 season, the Athletics had a deal with TuneIn for A's Cast and no flagship radio station in the Bay Area; due to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping fans from attending games, the team changed their plans and named KNEW as flagship.{{Cite web|title=A's announce new radio partnerships for upcoming season|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/15/oakland-athletics-announce-new-radio-deal-mlb/|date=February 15, 2019|work=The Mercury News|access-date=February 17, 2019}} The announcing team features Ken Korach and Johnny Doskow.

Television coverage is exclusively on NBC Sports California. Some A's games air on an alternate feed of NBCS, called NBCS Plus, if the main channel shows a Sacramento Kings or San Jose Sharks game at the same time. On TV, Jenny Cavnar covers play-by-play, and Dallas Braden provides color commentary. Some games would feature Chris Caray on play-by-play; Caray is a fourth-generation baseball announcer that included great-grandfather Harry Caray, grandfather Skip Caray, and father Chip Caray.

• Athletics award winners and league leaders
• List of Athletics first-round draft picks
• List of Athletics managers
• List of Athletics no-hitters
• List of Oakland Athletics Opening Day starting pitchers
• List of Athletics owners and executives
• List of Athletics team records

{{Reflist}}

• Bergman, Ron. Mustache Gang: The Swaggering Tale of Oakland's A's. Dell Publishing Co., New York, 1973.
• Dickey, Glenn. Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A's Dynasties—and the Building of the Third. Triumph Books, Chicago, 2002. {{ISBN|1-57243-421-X}}
• Jordan, David M. The Athletics of Philadelphia: Connie Mack's White Elephants, 1901–1954. McFarland & Co., Jefferson NC, 1999. {{ISBN|0-7864-0620-8}}.
• Katz, Jeff. "The Kansas City A's & The Wrong Half of the Yankees." Maple Street Press, Hingham, Massachusetts, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-9777436-5-0}}.
• Kuklick, Bruce. To Everything a Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia 1909–1976. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1991. {{ISBN|0-691-04788-X}}.
• Lewis, Michael. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., New York, 2003. {{ISBN|0-393-05765-8}}.
• Markusen, Bruce. Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's. Master Press, Indianapolis, 1998.
• Peterson, John E. The Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History 1954–1967. McFarland & Co., Jefferson NC, 1999. {{ISBN|0-7864-1610-6}}.
• Slusser, Susan. 100 Things A's Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1629370682}}.

{{sister project links|d=Q504339|c=category:Oakland Athletics|q=no|wikt=no|s=no|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}

• [https://www.mlb.com/athletics Athletics official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20000229074759/http://philadelphiaathletics.org/ Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society]
• [https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/mlb_Franchise/21/ Oakland Athletics Franchise History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104201828/https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/mlb_Franchise/21/ |date=November 04, 2024 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515082057/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/oakland/oaka_s.html Sports E-Cyclopedia]
• [http://athletics.scout.com Oakland A's prospect information]

{{S-start-collapsible|header={{S-ach}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Pittsburgh Pirates
{{wsy|1909}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = World Series champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{wsy|1910}}–{{wsy|1911}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Red Sox
{{wsy|1912}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Boston Red Sox
{{wsy|1912}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = World Series champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{wsy|1913}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Braves
{{wsy|1914}}}}

{{s-bef|before = New York Yankees
{{wsy|1927}}–{{wsy|1928}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = World Series champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{wsy|1929}}–{{wsy|1930}}}}

{{s-aft|after = St. Louis Cardinals
{{wsy|1931}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Pittsburgh Pirates
{{wsy|1971}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = World Series champions
Oakland Athletics|years = {{wsy|1972}}–{{wsy|1974}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Cincinnati Reds
{{wsy|1975}}–{{wsy|1976}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Los Angeles Dodgers
{{wsy|1988}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = World Series champions
Oakland Athletics|years = {{wsy|1989}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Cincinnati Reds
{{wsy|1990}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Chicago White Sox
{{mlby|1901}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{mlby|1902}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Americans
{{mlby|1903}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Boston Americans
{{mlby|1903}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{mlby|1905}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Chicago White Sox
{{mlby|1906}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Detroit Tigers
{{mlby|1907}}–{{mlby|1909}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{mlby|1910}}–{{mlby|1911}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Red Sox
{{mlby|1912}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Boston Red Sox
{{mlby|1912}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{mlby|1913}}–{{mlby|1914}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Red Sox
{{mlby|1915}}}}

{{s-bef|before = New York Yankees
{{mlby|1926}}–{{mlby|1928}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Philadelphia Athletics|years = {{mlby|1929}}–{{mlby|1931}}}}

{{s-aft|after = New York Yankees
{{mlby|1932}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Baltimore Orioles
{{alcsy|1969}}–{{alcsy|1971}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Oakland Athletics|years = {{alcsy|1972}}–{{alcsy|1974}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Boston Red Sox
{{alcsy|1975}}}}

{{s-bef|before = Minnesota Twins
{{alcsy|1987}}}}

{{s-ttl|title = American League champions
Oakland Athletics|years = {{alcsy|1988}}–{{alcsy|1990}}}}

{{s-aft|after = Minnesota Twins
{{alcsy|1991}}}}

{{S-end}}

{{Athletics (baseball)}}

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{{1930 Philadelphia Athletics}}

{{1972 Oakland Athletics}}

{{1973 Oakland Athletics}}

{{1974 Oakland Athletics}}

{{1989 Oakland Athletics}}

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Category:Major League Baseball teams

Category:Baseball teams in Sacramento, California

Category:West Sacramento, California