Record crowd expected for tonight's game
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OAKLAND -- The Oakland Coliseum has been in a five-year slumber. On Wednesday night, the 53-year-old relic gets an awakening with its first postseason baseball game since 2013.
The Coliseum is not glamorous. What it lacks in the aesthetics department, however, is made up for with a unique environment unlike anything else in sports, one that will be on full display when the A’s and Rays convene in the Bay Area for Wednesday’s American League Wild Card Game.
The A's announced on Wednesday that with more than 52,634 tickets sold with several hours still to go they will break the Wild Card Game attendance record of 52,631 from the NL contest between the Cardinals and Braves at Turner Field in 2012, the inaugural year of the Wild Card Game format.
“There’s not an atmosphere like it. It’s going to be rowdy. It’ll be fun to watch,” A’s pitcher Brett Anderson said. “These guys have no idea. It’s like a Raiders game. You get crazy people. Usually, there’s some sort of down period in baseball, but the last time I pitched there in the playoffs, there was just constant noise. It’s pretty fun to be a part of.”
As the only multipurpose professional sports stadium remaining in the country -- until the Raiders move to Las Vegas next year -- the Coliseum can easily morph into a cauldron of noise usually reserved for football games on special occasions. With the national audience watching, Wednesday night should certainly qualify.
Shop for postseason gear: It’s a home-field advantage the A’s will try to utilize as a boost of energy, one that fueled them to 10 walk-off victories in 2019. The Rays look to silence a raucous crowd that will be ready to break the decibel meter at the very first sign of a momentum shift in the game.
“The [A’s] could be somewhat on the same boat as us, they would probably like to have a little bit more attendance throughout the year. But when you’re in the playoffs, people are going to show up,” Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. “They’re going to be rooting against us, obviously, but it’s so much fun to play in that environment. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re fully capable of it. Any time you silence a crowd like that, it’s one of the best feelings you can do out there and that’s what we plan on doing.”
The vibrant scene inside the concrete jungle that is the Coliseum, which along with the regular sounds of the crowd will feature homemade banners adorning the bleacher railings and melodies from the drums, vuvuzelas and cowbells in those sections, will be enough reason to tune in. But that’s not the only factor making Wednesday’s game a must-watch.
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The similarities
These two clubs have more in common than just playing in a “Bay Area.” Entering the season among the lowest payrolls in the game year in and year out, the A’s and Rays find other ways to compete.
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Both clubs have their star: A’s shortstop Marcus Semien is an AL MVP Award candidate, while Rays starter Charlie Morton, who will start the Wild Card Game, has turned in a season worthy of AL Cy Young Award consideration. But they also rely heavily on their analytics departments to remain ahead of the curve on the latest trends and keep a studious eye on leverage matchups as part of their overall strategy.
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The results don’t lie, as the A’s won 97 games for the second straight year and reached the postseason for the fifth time in the past eight years, while the Rays finished at 96 wins this season despite many experts picking them to finish, at best, third in a tough AL East.
Everybody loves an underdog, and these two both embrace that role in their respective divisions. The A’s are often overshadowed by the star-studded Astros, and the Yankees and Red Sox take much of the spotlight away from the Rays. Both clubs tend to have fun clubhouses that keep things loose, creating a culture that no doubt plays a significant role in each team’s success.
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It’s no wonder these two clubs played each other closely in the regular season. The A’s narrowly took the season series over the Rays, 4-3, with four of the seven games decided by two or fewer runs.
“Two good bullpens. Two good offenses. Two good starting rotations,” A’s closer Liam Hendriks said. “They've got a good ballclub over there, and all our games have been really close. Especially with a couple of guys that I’ve played with on their team, it always adds a little extra.”
The familiarity
Tampa Bay’s roster features three former A’s in Joey Wendle, Eric Sogard and Emilio Pagan. Sogard last played for Oakland in 2015, and though many players from that season have gone elsewhere, some of the main pieces of this year’s A’s squad still remain, including Semien, Josh Phegley, Mark Canha and Chris Bassitt.
“We’ve texted back and forth a little bit. All friendly,” Sogard said. “Everybody is happy for each other, but at the same time, both sides want to be on top in this game.”
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The electric arms
Once this game gets into the late innings, there will be no shortage of pitchers ready to ramp up their fastballs into the triple digits. From the closers, Pagan and Hendriks, down to Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson on the Rays’ side and rookie lefties A.J. Puk and Jesús Luzardo out of Oakland’s bullpen, at-bats against either relief corps could get quite uncomfortable long after the shadows from the 5 p.m. PT start time die down.
“The Rays are tough. They never give you the same look,” Semien said. “You face a bunch of different guys. You can face four guys in one inning. We have to do our homework on each guy.”
“Their pitching, those guys are electric,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the A’s pitching staff. “I know that we have our hands full. We mirror each other in so many ways. Whatever way they go, we like to think we can combat, but they can come back and flip it on us. It’s going to be a very interesting game and how it’s managed.”
They might not be done here
Awaiting the winner of Wednesday’s Wild Card Game are the mighty Astros, holders of the best record in MLB. It will be a tough task for either club, but not insurmountable.
The A’s feel confident about their chances against the Astros, having won six of their last eight meetings against them, including three of four games at Minute Maid Park to close out their final regular-season series in September. Meanwhile, the Rays won four of seven games against the Astros and have a pitching staff they believe can combat Houston’s tough lineup.