1980 Oakland Athletics

1980 Oakland Athletics / Franchise: Oakland Athletics / BR Team Page

Record: 83-79, Finished 2nd in AL Western Division (1980 AL)

Managed by Billy Martin

Coaches: Clete Boyer, Art Fowler, George Mitterwald and Lee Walls

Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum

History, Comments, Contributions

Led by manager Billy Martin, the 1980 Oakland Athletics won 34 more games than the club did in 1979. Their offense was led by outfielders Tony Armas, who hit 35 homers, and Rickey Henderson, who swiped 100 bases. Their pitching staff hurled an amazing 94 complete games. Mike Norris led the rotation with a 22-9 record. Rick Langford, Matt Keough, and Steve McCatty all had double-digit win totals with ERAs below 4.00. Brian Kingman became the last pitcher of the 20th Century to lose 20 games in a season but still had a respectable 3.83 ERA. Still, the A's finished in second place, 14 games behind the Kansas City Royals.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Rickey Henderson
• AL Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Keough
• AL Gold Glove: Dwayne Murphy (OF) and Mike Norris (P)

Further Reading

• Dale Tafoya: Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's, Lyons Press, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD, 2020. ISBN 978-1493043620