Top 10 A's home runs of the decade
OAKLAND -- Generations of A’s lineups have been liberally sprinkled with legitimate sluggers, including the likes of Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Dave Kingman, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi and Eric Chavez. Not to mention contemporary threats such as Matt Chapman, Khris Davis and Matt Olson.
Here’s a list of the A’s top 10 homers from the decade of the 2010s, which proves that their knack for hitting the long ball remains very much alive.
1) Watch Khris crush
May 17, 2016
Rarely does a hitter sustain the sheer relentlessness that Davis did in this game against Texas. He homered in the second and sixth innings off Rangers starter Cole Hamels, then connected with two outs in the ninth inning off reliever Shawn Tolleson for a grand slam that erased the A’s 5-4 deficit and lifted them to an 8-5 triumph.
2) Moss ends titanic struggle in 19th
April 29, 2013
It’s fair to say that this was among the most hard-fought games in club history. The A’s overcame one-run deficits in the ninth and 15th innings to forge ties on both occasions and prolong the affair. Then Moss wrapped up the longest game in Oakland history with a two-out drive in the 19th off Barry Enright, the Angels’ seventh reliever.
3) Céspedes concludes rigorous journey
March 29, 2012
Yoenis Céspedes literally went through great lengths to hit his first Major League home run. He reached the United States by defecting from Cuba. He made the A’s Opening Day roster, enabling him to travel with the club to Tokyo for its two-game, season-opening series against the Seattle Mariners. Céspedes obviously didn’t mind adding another thousand miles or so to his fantastic journey. He connected off Seattle reliever Shawn Kelley for a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning that helped Oakland prevail, 4-1.
4) Chapman flashes flair for dramatic
Sept. 25, 2019
Striving to maintain their footing in the Wild Card race, the A’s needed a victory to turn back the challenge of the Cleveland Indians, who owned a 93-64 record when the day began – a full game behind Oakland (94-63). The A’s trailed the Angels in the ninth inning, 2-1, when Chapman pumped his 35th homer of the season, a two-run, one-out clout off Hansel Robles. Combined with Cleveland’s 8-3 loss to the White Sox, the A’s 3-2 triumph went a long way toward assuring them a spot in the postseason.
5) A’s order home run combo plate
Sept. 29, 2012
Oakland began this day trailing first-place Texas in the American League West race by three games with five to play in the regular season. The A’s couldn’t afford another slip, which looked imminent when they trailed Seattle, 4-1, after seven innings. But after Moss doubled home an eighth-inning run, the A’s power went to work. After Donaldson drilled a two-run homer in the ninth to force extra innings, Moss connected against Stephen Pryor with two on and one out in the 10th to win it for the A’s, 7-4. Oakland sustained its surge and won the division title on the season’s final day.
6) Salvaging one for the East Bay
June 24, 2012
The A’s were in danger of being swept by their cross-bay Interleague rivals, the San Francisco Giants, who engineered one-run victories in the first two games of a three-game series. But Derek Norris salvaged the weekend for Oakland. Appearing in his third Major League game, Norris smashed a tiebreaking, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Santiago Casilla to win it for the A’s, 4-1.
7) Early momentum from Moss
Sept. 30, 2014
Moss buoyed the A’s hopes in the 2014 Wild Card Game at Kansas City by belting a three-run homer in the sixth inning off Yordano Ventura for his second long ball of the night. It abetted a five-run outburst in the sixth inning that put Oakland ahead, 7-3. Unfortunately for the A’s, the Royals refused to give up and ultimately prevailed in 12 innings, 9-8.
8) Olson proves his mettle
Aug. 17, 2018
This encounter was what’s known as an “instant classic”: a game that’s so good, you don’t need reporters, commentators or recaps to tell you how great it was. You just know it from the time you leave the ballpark raving about what you just saw. Such was the case when Olson belted a 10th-inning walk-off homer off Tony Sipp to give the A’s a 4-3 win over the formidable Houston Astros. The A’s forced extra innings in the ninth, thanks to Nick Martini’s RBI double.
9) Welcome back, guys!
July 18, 2014
This happened to be the first game back from the All-Star break. Oakland’s Josh Donaldson, who was selected for his first of three consecutive Midsummer Classics that year, emerged triumphant in a tough confrontation against Orioles closer Zack Britton, a 2015-16 All-Star. Donaldson drilled a three-run homer to center field, giving the A’s a 5-4 walk-off win in the ninth.
10) Olson hits one for good measure
May 31, 2018
Olson continued to emerge as a power hitter as he smashed a 475-foot drive to right field off Ryan Yarbrough in a 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay. It was the longest homer at the Coliseum since Statcast began tracking home runs in 2015.