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Joined: 30-04-2024
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Subject :ARLINGTON, Texas - The Oakland Athletics waited until the last day of the regular season to finally
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Oakland Athletics waited until the last day of the regular season to finally clinch their third consecutive playoff berth. Mitchell Trubisky Youth Jersey .Adam Dunns wait to make the post-season for the first time lasted much longer: 2,001 games over 14 seasons.Its what you work for your whole career, said Dunn, who was traded to Oakland from the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 31. I dont know how fair it is that I get to enjoy kind of the fruit of their labour, but beggars cant be choosers.Sonny Gray threw a six-hitter to win for the first time in five September starts, Josh Reddick had an RBI triple and Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 4-0 Sunday to clinch the American Leagues second wild card.The As play the win-or-go-home wild-card game Tuesday night at Kansas City, which won five of the seven games in the season series against Oakland (88-74).Manager Bob Melvin stood in the middle of the clubhouse and gathered the team around him.Were in. Thats three in a row, he said before being showered with champagne and beer.After winning the AL West the past two seasons, the As finally got in this time after a prolonged slump.The As lost 30 of their previous 45 games before winning game No. 162.Now the pressures off, and now we just go out there and play, said Gray, the 24-year-old right-hander who struck out five with no walks in his second career complete-game shutout, both this season against Texas.That was a huge, said Jon Lester (16-11), the midseason addition who pitched in two World Series for Boston and will start will start the wild-card game. Thats one of the more impressive games Ive gotten to watch in a while.Dunns 2,001 career games with the As, White Sox, Cincinnati Arizona and Washington were the most by any active player before getting into the post-season. The 34-year-old slugger has said he plans to retire after this season when his contract is set to expire, and waived his no-trade clause for the White Sox to send him to the As less than a month ago.Dunn got doused repeatedly during the celebration, and at one point dived onto the already-soaked floor after encouraging shouts from his teammates, who then showered him again.I played scenarios of this day out in my head probably a thousand times, Dunn said. I just want to celebrate with this team.After winning the AL West title the past two seasons, Oakland went into its game Aug. 10 with a 72-44 record that was the best in the majors. That was good for a four-game lead in the AL West and an 11-game edge in the wild-card standings.Grey (14-10) was 12-3 at the end of July, but was 1-7 in his 11 previous starts before Sunday.Nick Martinez (5-12) finished his rookie season allowing two runs and four hits over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out two without a walk.Brandon Moss led off the Oakland second with a double to centre, and Reddick followed with a triple over the head of centre fielder Leonys Martin. Reddick scored on Stephen Vogts bloop single to make it 2-0. Jed Lowrie had a two-run single in the ninth.Texas had two runners on with no outs in the fifth after Tomas Telis doubled and Ryan Rua got an infield single on a ball that ricocheted off Grays left foot. Trainers checked on Gray, who then got out of the inning by striking out Luis Sardinas and getting Adam Rosales to ground into a double play.Oakland lost five of seven down the stretch to the Rangers, who finished 67-95 overall for their most losses since 99 in 1985. But they were 14-8 under interim manager Tim Bogar after Ron Washington resigned Sept. 5 for personal reasons.We played some really good teams down the stretch and we were pretty competitive and thats all I can ask out of my club, Bogar said. If you ask Oakland, I think theyll understand that they had to beat a pretty good team.UP NEXTAthletics: Lester (16-11 overall, 6-4 in 11 starts for Oakland) is set to start Tuesday night at Kansas City against James Shields.Rangers: For the first time in five seasons, the Rangers are done after 162 games. Next is the off-season, when the first order of business will be to determine if Bogar will be their manager next season.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: Melvin didnt even check with 3B Josh Donaldson before putting him in the lineup. Donaldson is still sore after awkwardly banging his left knee diving for a ball Friday night, but stayed in that game and played Saturday, when he homered and had a nice defensive play. There is a lot of character involved in that, Melvin said.Rangers: Texas used the disabled list 26 times this season for 21 different players who missed a combined 2,011 games. Among the players on the 60-day disabled list that will have to be added back to the 40-man roster are Prince Fielder, Yu Darvish and Shin-Soo Choo. Mitchell Trubisky Womens Jersey .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. Mitchell Trubisky Bears Jersey . Patton told The Baltimore Sun that he took an Adderall pill four days before the season finished, trying to improve his short-term focus. "I took one because I was stupid," Patton told The Sun. http://www.bearsauthenticproshop.com/Mitchell-Trubisky-Bears-Jersey/ . Johnny Manziel, college footballs most entertaining player with the reputation for pulling off magical plays, was selected with the No.GLENDALE, Ariz. - Just when Arizonas fortunes had turned sour, along came Kerwynn Williams, an unlikely hero.Williams provided what quarterback Drew Stanton called the shot in the arm the Cardinals needed on Sunday in Arizonas 17-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.The Cardinals (10-3), who had lost two in a row, needed the win to stay a game ahead of Seattle in the NFC West. Now they have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night contest at St. Louis.Youve got to love NFL scheduling, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said.The Chiefs (7-6) dropped their third straight and trail three teams in the AFC wild card chase.We obviously need to do a better job, take care of our business, Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. Its my responsibility that takes place. We had e very opportunity to do that today, and we didnt get it accomplished.On Friday, Williams practiced with the scout team, pretending to be Jamaal Charles. Afterward, coach Bruce Arians told him he was being elevated to the regular roster.Williams responded by rushing for 100 yards, nine more than Charles got. The former Utah State back, a seventh-round draft pick by Indianapolis last year, was the main cog in a running game that had been so bad lately. After rushing for fewer than 100 yards in the last two games combined, the Cardinals got a season-high 141 on Sunday.Quickness, explosiveness, an unbelievable change of direction, Arians said of Williams. He can break a guy down in a hole and make him miss and hes got power for a smaller guy.Williams big game came the same day that Arians said running back Andre Ellingtons season is over. Ellington is to have surgery to repair a hernia. He never had been at full strength this season.Arians gave Williams a game ball. Williams said he would give it to his parents.Some things to know from the Cardinals win:CONTROVERSIAL CALLS: The Chiefs were on the wrong end of a couple of controversial calls in the second half.The refs called two plays that I think were just crazy, Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles said.First, a third-quarter touchdown was negated when tight end Anthony Fasano was called for offensive passs interference.dddddddddddd On the next play, an interception ended the threat and led to Arizonas lone touchdown.My back judge (Lee Dyer) reported to me that he had Fasano blocking, referee Craig Wrolstad told a pool reporter, blocking downfield to create separation which allowed him to be open for the pass.In the fourth quarter, Arians challenged a call that tight end Travis Kelce was down by contact after a 19-yard pass reception to the Arizona 22. After the review, the call was reversed, giving the Cardinals the fumble recovery at the 15.The tight end caught the ball, took a number of steps, got hit and as he was going to the ground, the ball came loose. The ball remained loose. ... He tried to maintain possession, but he did not.ARIZONAS Defence: After surrendering 500 yards in its worst performance of the season last weeks 29-18 loss to Atlanta, the Arizona defence came back to shut out the Chiefs in the second half after they had taken a 14-6 halftime lead.This is the story of our season, said linebacker Alex Okafor, whose interception stopped a Kansas City drive and led to the Cardinals lone touchdown. Playing hard in the first half, but cranking it up in the second half, especially at home.Arizona has blanked the opponent in the second half of its last three home games.CHARLES TURNS QUIET: Jamaal Charles broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run, then caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith.In between, he went down with a left ankle sprain. Reid called it a mild sprain.It was scary at first, Charles said. I thought I tore it up.In the second half, Charles rushed for 17 yards in seven carries.HOME COOKING: Arizona improved to 7-0 at home, the most home victories for the franchise in the 16-game era.Its also the most since the Chicago Cardinals won 11 of 13 home games in 1925.The Cardinals are 13-2 at home since Arians became coach.TURNOVERS: Arizona won the turnover battle 2-0, with an interception and fumble recovery.The Cardinals have a plus-10 turnover ratio. They have 17 interceptions.Kansas City has a minus-six turnover ratio.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' |
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