| 1990 Oakland Athletics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League champions American League West champions | ||||
| League | American League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | |||
| City | Oakland, California | |||
| Record | 103–59 (.636) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | Walter A. Haas, Jr. | |||
| General managers | Sandy Alderson | |||
| Managers | Tony La Russa | |||
| Television | KPIX/KICU-TV Sports Channel Bay Area (Monte Moore,Ray Fosse) | |||
| Radio | KSFO (Bill King,Lon Simmons,Ray Fosse) KNTA (Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, Erwin Higueros) | |||
| ||||
TheOakland Athletics' 1990 season was their 23rd season inOakland,California and the 90th in franchise history. The team finished first in theAmerican League West with a record of 103 wins 59 losses.
The Athletics' 1990 campaign ranks among the organization's finest. Oakland, by winning 103 games, led the league outright in wins for a third consecutive season; they remained the last major North American team to accomplish this until 2017, when the feat was matched by the nearbyGolden State Warriors of theNBA. The Athletics benefited from stellar performances in all areas of the game. The team's offense was led by eventual Hall-of-FamerRickey Henderson, who finished the season with 65 stolen bases, 28 home runs, a .325 batting average, and took home the 1990American League MVP Award. The Athletics benefited from strong performances by superstarsMark McGwire andJose Canseco. The pair clubbed 39 and 37 home runs, respectively; in doing so, they drove in a combined total of 209 runs. Over the course of the season, the team added to an already strong offense; the additions of recent All-StarsWillie Randolph,Willie McGee, andHarold Baines further widened the gap between the Athletics and the rest of the league. Established veterans (such asCarney Lansford,Terry Steinbach,Dave Henderson, andMike Gallego) and promising young players (mainlyWalt Weiss andMike Bordick) rounded out arguably the deepest roster in all of Major League Baseball. Eight of the Athletics' nine main postseason starters (R. Henderson, McGwire, Canseco, McGee, Steinbach, Randolph, Baines, and Lansford) played in at least one All-Star Game between 1988 and 1990.
The Athletics pitching staff, in many regards, had an even stronger campaign. The starting rotation was led by veteranBob Welch. Welch would finish the season with both an MLB-leading 27 wins and a 2.95 ERA; this performance was strong enough to net the 1990Cy Young Award. Welch, as of 2021, remains the last MLB pitcher to win at least 25 games in a season.[1] Fellow starterDave Stewart, winner of 22 games, finished in a tie (with Pittsburgh starterDoug Drabek) for the second-most wins in MLB. 1989 All-StarMike Moore, 1991 All-StarScott Sanderson, and longtime AthleticCurt Young rounded out the American League's top rotation. The Athletics' bullpen was led by superstar closerDennis Eckersley, who posted a microscopic 0.61 ERA while recording 48 saves. As a team, the Athletics allowed only 570 runs (the fewest in the American League by a wide margin).
The Athletics easily won the American League West for a third consecutive season, en route to a third consecutive AL Pennant with a four-game sweep of theBoston Red Sox. The Athletics entered the1990 World Series as heavy favorites, but were swept by theCincinnati Reds. Neither team has reached the World Series since.
 Catfish Hunter Pitcher: 1965-67(KC) 1968-74(OAK) Retired 1990 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 103 | 59 | .636 | — | 51–30 | 52–29 |
| Chicago White Sox | 94 | 68 | .580 | 9 | 49–31 | 45–37 |
| Texas Rangers | 83 | 79 | .512 | 20 | 47–35 | 36–44 |
| California Angels | 80 | 82 | .494 | 23 | 42–39 | 38–43 |
| Seattle Mariners | 77 | 85 | .475 | 26 | 38–43 | 39–42 |
| Kansas City Royals | 75 | 86 | .466 | 27½ | 45–36 | 30–50 |
| Minnesota Twins | 74 | 88 | .457 | 29 | 41–40 | 33–48 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 4–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 8–3 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 8–4 | 5–8 |
| Boston | 9–4 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 9–4 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 10–3 |
| California | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | 5–8 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 5–8 | 8–5 | 7–5 |
| Chicago | 6–6 | 6–6 | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 10–2 | 7–6 | 10–2 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 5–7 |
| Cleveland | 7–6 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | — | 5–8 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 4–9 |
| Detroit | 7–6 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–8 |
| Kansas City | 3–8 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 4–8 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 5–7 |
| Milwaukee | 6–7 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 4–9 | 10–3 | 8–4 | — | 4–8 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–6 |
| Minnesota | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 8–4 | — | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 3–9 |
| New York | 7–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 2–10 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 6–6 | — | 0–12 | 9–3 | 3–9 | 5–8 |
| Oakland | 8–4 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 12–0 | — | 9–4 | 8–5 | 7–5 |
| Seattle | 9–3 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 4–9 | — | 7–6 | 6–6 |
| Texas | 4–8 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 9–3 | 5–8 | 6–7 | — | 7–5 |
| Toronto | 8–5 | 3–10 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — |
| 1990 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
Designated Hitters | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
On June 29,Dave Stewart no-hit theToronto Blue Jays by a score of 5–0.
| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos. | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Terry Steinbach | 114 | 379 | 95 | .291 | 9 | 57 |
| 1B | Mark McGwire | 156 | 523 | 123 | .235 | 39 | 108 |
| 2B | Willie Randolph | 93 | 292 | 75 | .257 | 1 | 21 |
| 3B | Carney Lansford | 134 | 507 | 136 | .268 | 3 | 50 |
| SS | Walt Weiss | 138 | 445 | 118 | .265 | 2 | 35 |
| LF | Rickey Henderson | 136 | 489 | 159 | .325 | 28 | 61 |
| CF | Dave Henderson | 127 | 450 | 122 | .264 | 20 | 63 |
| RF | José Canseco | 131 | 481 | 132 | .274 | 37 | 101 |
| DH | Harold Baines | 32 | 94 | 25 | .266 | 3 | 21 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Gallego | 140 | 389 | 80 | .206 | 3 | 34 |
| Félix José | 101 | 341 | 90 | .264 | 8 | 39 |
| Ron Hassey | 94 | 254 | 54 | .213 | 5 | 22 |
| Doug Jennings | 64 | 156 | 30 | .192 | 2 | 14 |
| Lance Blankenship | 86 | 136 | 26 | .295 | 0 | 10 |
| Jamie Quirk | 56 | 121 | 34 | .281 | 3 | 26 |
| Willie McGee | 29 | 113 | 31 | .274 | 0 | 15 |
| Ken Phelps | 32 | 59 | 11 | .186 | 1 | 6 |
| Steve Howard | 21 | 52 | 12 | .231 | 0 | 1 |
| Darren Lewis | 25 | 35 | 8 | .229 | 0 | 1 |
| Stan Javier | 19 | 33 | 8 | .242 | 0 | 3 |
| Dann Howitt | 14 | 22 | 3 | .136 | 0 | 1 |
| Ozzie Canseco | 9 | 19 | 2 | .105 | 0 | 1 |
| Troy Afenir | 14 | 14 | 2 | .143 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Bordick | 25 | 14 | 1 | .071 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Hemond | 7 | 13 | 2 | .154 | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Honeycutt | 66 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Stewart | 36 | 267.0 | 22 | 11 | 2.56 | 166 |
| Bob Welch | 35 | 238.0 | 27 | 6 | 2.95 | 127 |
| Scott Sanderson | 34 | 206.1 | 17 | 11 | 3.88 | 128 |
| Mike Moore | 33 | 199.1 | 13 | 15 | 4.65 | 73 |
| Curt Young | 26 | 124.1 | 9 | 6 | 4.85 | 56 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Harris | 16 | 41.1 | 1 | 0 | 3.48 | 31 |
| Mike Norris | 14 | 27.0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 | 16 |
| Steve Chitren | 8 | 17.2 | 1 | 0 | 1.02 | 19 |
| Dave Otto | 2 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 2 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Eckersley | 63 | 4 | 2 | 48 | 0.61 | 73 |
| Rick Honeycutt | 63 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2.70 | 38 |
| Gene Nelson | 51 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1.57 | 38 |
| Todd Burns | 43 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.97 | 43 |
| Joe Klink | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.04 | 19 |
| Joe Bitker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 |
October 6, 1990, atFenway Park
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| W:Dave Stewart (1-0) L:Larry Andersen (0-1) | ||||||||||||
| HR:BOS –Wade Boggs (1) | ||||||||||||
October 7, 1990, atFenway Park
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| W:Bob Welch (1-0) L:Greg Harris (0-1) S:Dennis Eckersley (1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: None | ||||||||||||
October 9, 1990, atOakland–Alameda County Coliseum
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | x | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| W:Mike Moore (1-0) L:Mike Boddicker (0-1) S:Dennis Eckersley (2) | ||||||||||||
| HR: None | ||||||||||||
October 10, 1990, atOakland–Alameda County Coliseum
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Oakland | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| W:Dave Stewart (2-0) L:Roger Clemens (0-1) S:Rick Honeycutt (1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: None | ||||||||||||
The four-game sweep to the Reds in the1990, was reminiscent of the A's loss to theBoston Braves76 years earlier.
NLCincinnati Reds (4) vs. ALOakland Athletics (0)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A's – 0,Reds – 7 | October 16 | Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati) | 55,830 | 2:48 |
| 2 | A's – 4,Reds – 5 (10 inns) | October 17 | Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati) | 55,832 | 3:31 |
| 3 | Reds – 8, A's – 3 | October 19 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland) | 48,269 | 3:01 |
| 4 | Reds – 2, A's – 1 | October 20 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland) | 48,613 | 2:48 |