2002 Oakland Athletics

2002 Oakland Athletics / Franchise: Oakland Athletics / BR Team Page

Record: 103-59, Finished 1st in AL Western Division (2002 AL)

Clinched Division: September 26, 2002, At Seattle Mariners

Managed by Art Howe

Coaches: Thad Bosley, Brad Fischer, Ken Macha, Rick Peterson, Mike Quade and Ron Washington

Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum

History, Comments, Contributions

The 2002 Oakland Athletics won 20 consecutive games between August 13th and September 4th, the longest in American League history. They were in third place, 4 1/2 games back when the winning began, and led their division by 3 1/2 games when it ended. They finished the year in first place, with a four-game league. The last three wins of the streak were of the walk-off variety, including a wild 12-11 victory over the Kansas City Royals on a walk-off home run by Scott Hatteberg for win #20. They continued to play red hot baseball the rest of the way, as they ended the season winning 9 of their last 11 games to reach 103 wins. The record win streak was tied by the 2017 Cleveland Indians. For all that, they were upset by the Minnesota Twins in the Division Series.

The Athletics' tremendous season is chronicled on Michael Lewis' best-selling book, Moneyball (2003), which was turned into a successful movie of the same name in 2011. The movie in particular focuses on the team's historic winning streak.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Miguel Tejada and Barry Zito
• AL MVP: Miguel Tejada
• AL Cy Young Award: Barry Zito
• AL Rolaids Relief Award: Billy Koch
• AL Gold Glove: Eric Chavez (3B)
• AL Silver Slugger Award: Eric Chavez (3B)
• Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Mark Ellis (2B)

Further Reading

• 2022 Oakland Athletics Media Guide, pg. 135
• Michael Lewis: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 2003. ISBN 978-0393057652
• Bob Nightengale: "As Indians aim for 20th straight win, 'Moneyball' hero Scott Hatteberg can't wait to watch", USA Today Sports, September 12, 2017. [1]

2002 MLB season by team

<< 2001 2002 Postseason 2003 >>

NL Division Series (3-0) Cardinals (NLC) over Diamondbacks (NLW) NL Division Series (3-2) Giants (WC) over Braves (NLE)

NL Championship Series (4-1) Giants over Cardinals

World Series (4-3) Angels over Giants

AL Championship Series (4-1) Angels over Twins

AL Division Series (3-2) Twins (ALC) over Athletics (ALW) AL Division Series (3-1) Angels (WC) over Yankees (ALE)