Tag: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: This Week in 1980, Charlie O. Finley Sold the A’s for $12.7 Million

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By: Amaury Pi-González

On August 21, 1980, Athletics owner Charlie Finley announced at a news conference that he has sold his A’s to Walter A. Haas, Jr., the chairman of the board of the Levi Strauss clothing empire, Haas’s son Walter Jr., and son-in-law Roy Eisenhardt for $12.7 million.

In 1980, Finley agreed in principle to sell to businessman Marvin Davis, who was planning to move the A’s to Denver, but before that, Finley and Davis were to sign a contract, as the NFL’s Oakland Raiders announced they were moving to Los Angeles in 1982. The City of Oakland and Alameda County officials didn’t wanted to be held responsible for losing Oakland status as a big league city and refused to let the A’s out of their lease with the Coliseum. So the A’s were sold and stayed.

Although they have changed ownership a few times since, today’s A’s are in solid ground to continue playing in Oakland. These days, the last thing in mind for the A’s is to move out of Oakland, because soon they will be the only professional team left, after the Warriors move to San Francisco and the Raiders to Las Vegas. That is the good news. Plus, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has said it all along, “the Bay Area is a two-team market.”

However, there is presently a group called Protect Oakland’s Shoreline Economy that is questioning the A’s proposed move to their favorite location of the Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Here in the greater Bay Area, there is never a shortage of groups that oppose construction of sports facilities. and this one is the most recent. This is the second chapter of this novela. In December of last year, the A’s plans to build a 35,000 seat ballpark near Lake Merritt was stopped cold, when the community college refused to start negotiations about the proposed park.

All these recent concerns have been rather silenced by the A’s current play on the field, as they have been shocking the baseball world. They just took two out of three from the Mariners and two out of three from the Astros–two of their biggest rivals. This Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at the Coliseum and then the A’s go on a six-game road-trip to Minnesota and Houston. They return the 30th of this month to say adios to August and welcome September with a four-game series against the M’s, three against the contending Yankees and the Rangers again. I do not believe the A’s bandwagon is close to capacity yet, as there are still a lot of folks who are not 100 percent certain they are going to see postseason play at the Coliseum. But I think they will.

By then, we will see how are the Atléticos de Oakland doing, with two very possible scenarios: 1) winning the division or 2) advancing as one of the two Wild Card teams.

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010am/990am, covering the Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley, and on the SAP Channel on NBC Sports California.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Having Fun at A’s Tailgate Party With Some Old Amigos

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Photo credit: @ThompsonScribe

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Last Wednesday, I had the time to join some good old A’s baseball amigos during an afternoon game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Seattle Mariners. When the A’s play a day game, anytime between Monday and Friday, those are not in our schedule to broadcast in Spanish. Decisions that simply out of nowhere, but it is what it is. A long time ago, I learned I should not get upset with stuff that I can’t control. It’s simple as that.

Mi amigos, they are all retired, and true A’s fans for decades. Gilberto Crespo from San Leandro since 1968 when the A’s first moved to Oakland. Dagoberto Blanco Campaneris, also known as “Campy,” who is arguably the best shortstop in A’s history and three-time World Champion. I stayed as a rookie at Crespo’s home. My friend Crespo, who was also born in Cuba, was joined by Stan, who is an Irishman, but can speak a good amount of Spanish. Also, Juan and Jorge were there, they are all A’s fans during the good and bad years, so they do not subscribe to the theory of the bandwagon fans.

Crespo told me, “I used to come to A’s games when Charlie Finley was the owner and we were winning but seldom there were sellouts here.”

Stan, who is retired and an avid A’s and 49ers fan, could not believe the crowd for a Wednesday afternoon. Stan told me, “Well, they are winning and now everybody is an A’s fan.”

Jorge and Juan were born in Costa Rica–where fútbol is the national sport–but they also have been in this country long enough to assimilate, so they are old baseball fans who love to talk about strategy and share their opinions.

Jorge said, “Amaury, there is no hit and run, no bunt, everybody is hitting home runs, but I love this young A’s team because they hit a lot of home runs … Yes, but what happens when they do not hit home runs, they do not win?”

For the record, that game went into extra innings and the Mariners won 2-0 in 12 innings on a two-run home run by Dee Gordon, who is one of the fastest players and perhaps a top base thief–in the game and anything, but a hom run hitter.

There was a nice big pick-up truck and a great BBQ a couple of hours prior to the game. Good eats, beer and even Jack Daniels was there, I am not a drinker at ballgames, but I did had a couple of beers with very good food with my amigos. And then we watched the game on a sunny perfect afternoon at the Coliseum. Our talk was mostly about the A’s and baseball in general. Though, Stan goes to Alaska every year to fish for salmon, and he went last month.

Stan told me, “No, esta vez no me fue muy bien.” Translation: “This time, it didn’t go very well.” He didn’t catch as many fish as last time, but he took it in stride, as he knows there will always be fish waiting for him to catch in Alaska. He is also a 49ers fan who used to have season tickets, but told me a long time ago that he was unable to afford the tickets since they moved to Levi’s Stadium.

It is always fun to catch a ballgame outside of the press box. With the fans in the stands, the conversations are priceless, the food keeps coming, the talk gets better, some fans cheer when a Mariner strikes out, while others suffer when an A’s hitter hit into a double play. There were fans wearing M’s jerseys, but more A’s, like, say, Matt Chapman jerseys. Baseball fans are arguably the greatest, especially the older fans who can talk about the game forever.

One thing for sure is that no fan is in a hurry if the game drags–like this one–and there is basically a pitching match between Leake and Anderson with a lot of ground ball outs. I never saw a fan looking at the clock as if they were in a hurry. Chapman is more than a leader of this team, as the 25-year-old is also the guy who asked fans to come and support the team, which is a refreshing sight to see. Players make very good money, even a rookie makes 10 times the average annual salary of the average American, but some players are class acts and they want to see fans supporting them. Chapman spoke from the heart, and fans appreciated that candor.

It is ironic that baseball has been trying to speed up the game, to keep up with the social media culture. They do all kinds of research, but they never ask the fan if they think the game is slow. And you know why? Because they know the answer they are going to get. Of course not, I mean there is nothing better that a great tailgate party with some good old friends with great conversations and to watch a ballgame in the middle of the afternoon on a sunny day at the Coliseum. The Coliseum is the one sports facility in the Bay Area with the best access to transporation with BART to the east and Highway 880 to the west. Like many others, I would welcome a new ballpark for the A’s at Howard Terminal, so I support A’s President Dave Kaval in this particular endeavor, but the current Coliseum location is like the A’s these days–tough to beat!

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Will Barry Bonds Be in Cooperstown Before Pete Rose?

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By: Amaury Pi-González

The San Francisco Giants retired Barry Bonds’ number 25 in front of a sellout crowd this Saturday at AT&T Park.

Bonds is a beloved figure in San Francisco, Calif., but not so much for the non-Giants fans in the rest of the country. In these days of polarization in our country, Bonds is a very polarized figure. Bonds rarely makes appearances at other ballparks, as he would probably get an embarrassing round of boos instead of standing ovations.

Although Bonds was never convicted of using steroids, we went through that whole soap opera for many years in the Bay Area from the Balco Laboratory in Burlingame, Calif. and all the unnecessary stuff that came with that story. For a while, it looked like it was never going to end.

The Class of 2018 inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. this month of July, were Larry “Chipper” Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman were also on the list along with some others. Once again, Bonds fell short of the 75% of votes required by the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America). Bond had just 56.4%.

I ponder if we will see Bonds inducted into Cooperstown before Pete Rose. The cheers and standing ovations Bonds is showered with at AT&T Park would probably equal a booing noise by other fans across the country. Attorneys use the word “rehabilitate” when they have a witness on the hot seat in front of a jury when he or she has been attacked and his or her reputation is not good. In a way, the Giants are trying to do that with Bonds–a plaque, a retired number and probably a statue at the park–once he is inducted. No need to be an attorney to understand that and the Giants have all the right in the world to do such things as we are a free, open-minded society and one person could be hated by some and adored by others.

I was a part of Bonds’ years with the Giants and called many of his home runs into the water at McCovey Cove, and even at the old Candlestick Park. I traveled with him and always admired his talents on the field. I remember when he arrived to San Francisco from Pittsburgh and the arguably biggest stat then with the Pirates was slugger Bobby Bonilla.

Bonds has 762 home runs and there is nobody close challenging him at the moment. Although the game has become focused on home runs or strikeouts today,  somebody could perhaps reach that total in the future.

I arrived into this country as a 17-year-old in 1961, I remember reading the newspapers everyday and watching the news that year on the great home run race between two New York Yankees: the very popular Mickey Mantle, and the not so popular Roger Maris. Maris won with 61 home runs and Mantle finished with 54. Moreover, I remember the older folks saying that the Babe Ruth record could never be broken.

Pete Rose ended his 24-year career in baseball with a .303 average and a record 4,256 hits. Although never found guilty on betting as a player or manager, he did admit it and he still permanently ineligible. The rule is, “Rule 21 Misconduct, (d) Betting on Ball Games, Any player, umpire, or club, or league official, or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.”

As far as Bonds’ legal problems? On April 13, 2011, Bonds was convicted of one felony count of obstruction of justice for giving an incomplete answer to a question in grand jury testimony. A mistrial was declared on the remaining three counts of perjury, and those charges were dropped. The obstruction of justice conviction was upheld by an appellate panel in 2013, but a larger panel of the appellate court overturned the conviction in 2015.

So there you have it. Two completely different, but controversial players; one the all-time home run leader, the other the all-time hits leader. In San Francisco and Cincinnati, they would be popular, but outside in the rest of the country and in the court of public opinion, not really.  There is no coincidence that these two players with two tremendous records are not seen throwing ceremonial first pitches at All-Star Games or World Series, or representing baseball in any capacity. So far, MLB has not call on them to represent the game. My grandfather used to tell me, “time cures everything. So, maybe years later, these two would be seen in a different light.

You be the judge. Should Bonds go into Cooperstown before Rose? Only time will tell.

Some wise man once said, “When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.”

The Oakland A’s are back home this Monday the 13th for a crucial homestand against divisional rivals: Seattle, Houston and Texas. Listen to all the games in Spanish on KIQI 1010AM/990AM in San Francisco, Oakland, San José, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A’s vs Mariners–Bullpen Mano a Mano

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By: Amaury Pi-González

Two Western Division teams fighting for one of the two Wild Card spots in the American League. One of them, the Seattle Mariners was supposed to be a contender, while the other one, the Oakland Athletics, is the biggest surprise in baseball this season.

Nobody can win a World Series without bullpen talent, all you have to do is go back during the past  few years and see the bullpens of the teams that won the title. The game today lends to starters–with some exceptions–to go between 5 to 6 inning, and then it is bullpen time.

Both clubs have made additions to their bullpens. Earlier this season, M’s manager Jerry DiPoto, brought veteran Alex Colomé from the Tampa Bay Rays (with 12 saves) to join their tremendous closer Edwin Nuñez (43 saves). This year, the A’s began with Blake Treinen, who saved 17 games for the team last season, but this year, he became one of the best closers in the game with 29 saves as well as his first ever selection to the MLB All-Star Game.

When the A’s got really hot and passed the M’s for the No. 2 position in the wild card race, the A’s management went to work. First, they acquired the New York Mets’ Jeurys Familia, a man that saved 51 games in 2016, then Minnesota Twins’ Fernando Rodney, who is 40 years old and a 16-year veteran who has played for five different teams and made 325 saves in his career. He packed his imaginary arrow and came to the Bay Area.

The A’s have 10 games remaining with the M’s, seven in Oakland, beginning next Monday for the first three and then three in Seattle during the last week of the season. This could be a battle of bullpens. The M’s Félix Hernández has been their No. 1 starter and he still is on paper.

However, King Félix, a leader on that pitching staff for 14 years, doesn’t bring the same dominant stuff to the mound anymore. He has a 8-10 record with a 5.73 ERA in 23 starts. Many years ago in Seattle, I saw Félix make his last start at Triple-A with Tacoma. Tremendous stuff, but that doesn’t last forever. Their No. 1 today was lefty James Paxton is 10-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 23 games (two completed games). He is their real top of the rotation man.

Edwin Jackson has done a terrific job for the A’s and now Mike Fiers, after a very good outing against the Dodgers, is part of the rotation. The A’s No. 1 is without a doubt, Sean Manaea, the young lefty is 10-8 with a 3.50 ERA in 24 starts and one complete game, a no-hitter against the Red Sox in Oakland back in April. It is worthy to mention that M’s Marco Gonzáles is having his best season. He is 12-7 and 3.79 ERA in 23 starts with one complete game.

As far as for both of these contending team starters, the M’s might have a slight edge, but when it comes to the bullpen, the A’s bullpen is much deeper than the M’s. That is just a fact. Will the A’s bullpen continue to perform as good? It is hard to find a better bullpen in baseball, maybe the Yankees, but definitely not many as solid as the A’s relievers. The A’s also picked up Nationals reliever Shawn Kelley, who began his career with the M’s, who gave up a completely meaningless ninth inning home run to Austin Jackson, which turned the Nats’ 23-run win into a 21-run win. He was mad about giving up that homer, threw his glove really hard on the ground, and that was his last game with the Nats. So the A’s told him, “Pick your glove up”and come our way!

Starting next Monday, when the A’s return from their trip to Anaheim against the Angels, I expect a bullpen battle between the A’s and M’s. This is when the rubber meets the road. Also, in this home stretch, the A’s will be facing other division teams like Houston, Texas and Los Angeles Angels, and of course a battle royale when the New York Yankees invade the Oakland Coliseum in the first week of September.

Fastens your seat belts, it going to be quite a ride!

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010AM/990AM, covering the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Sacramento, Stockton, and the Valley.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bartolo Colón–Número Uno in Latin America

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

History was made at Arlington, Texas on Tuesday, August 7th as Bartolo Colón from the Dominican Republic and with his Texas Rangers team won his 246th game and became the #1 pitcher in total wins born in Latin America. His Texas Rangers routed the Seattle Mariners 11-4, Colón pitched seven innings. His last out was his 94th pitch of the game as he retired Dee Gordon. The “Big Sexy” gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings of work.

“It was a long journey, but it finally came and it feels good” Colón said. “I always give thanks to God and to my family and the support that I have from them.”

Colón began his career in 1997 with the Cleveland Indians, and has pitched for a total of 21 years with 10 different teams. He won over 20 games in two occasions. In 2005 with the Angels, he ended with a 21-8 record and a 3.48 ERA, earning the American League Cy Young Award. A master of control, when he began he was a power pitcher with a fastball from 95-100 MPH. He pitched with the Oakland A’s in 2012 and 2013. I remember in A’s Spring Training, he tutored a Cuban-born newcomer, Yoenis Céspedes, to the Major Leagues. They became good friends.

With his 246th win, Colón passed his compatriot Juan “The Dominican Dandy” Marichal and then Nicaragua’s Dennis “El Presidente” Martínez among the top pitchers with most wins born in Latin America. Colón in Spanish means Columbus (like Christopher Columbus) and like the man who discovered the DR in the 1400’s, this Colón is in a class all by himself.

In case you did not know; there are 28 pitchers in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York with less wins than Colón’s 246.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Don’t Blink Now, the A’s Odds Were 300 to 1

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Before the start of the 2018 season, Las Vegas bookmakers’ odds for the Oakland A’s to win the World Series this year were 300 to 1. I am sure Pete Rose would love those odds today. However, things have changed since the opening of the season. It is baseball after all, and in the words of Joaquin Andujar, “you never know.”

The A’s have been on a roller-coaster ride the last 10 days. They went to Arlington and swept the Rangers in four games, went to Denver and got swept by the Rockies at Coors Field, then they returned home and just ended a three-game sweep of the woeful Toronto Blue Jays, and on the 11th day, they rested. This Thursday, the red-hot A’s are off, which gives them time to play some golf, catch up on new movies, and relax with their families, until the Detroit Tigers come to Oakland this Friday.

The A’s have the fourth best record in the MLB. Only the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Houston Astros have better records. So the Green and Gold would be in first place in the American League Central and in each of the three divisions in the National League.

We will see if the A’s bandwagon fills up very soon this coming weekend when the Tigers make a brief, two-game stop in Oakland, Calif. The A’s attendance is still next to last in the AL, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays.

Prior to the game against the Blue Jays last Wednesday, I had a nice talk with A’s manager Bob Melvin in the A’s dugout. He is dubbed as “Melvin the Magician,” and without a doubt, one of the best managers in the game. He is on his way to a possible third Manager of the Year award.

Now with 600 wins, only Connie Mack, Tony LaRussa, and Art Howe have more wins as a manager in the 50-year history of the A’s. I hope the A’s keep this man for a long time as their skipper, as he is the perfect manager for this ballclub.

At this time, and after the A’s swept the Blue Jays at the Coliseum, combined with a Mariners loss in Seattle against the Astros, the A’s are now tied with the M’s for the second spot in the division and a possible Wild Card slot. With 52 games left, starting this Friday, the whole thing becomes extremely interesting. The A’s still have 10 games left with the M’s and six with the Astros. Plus, a very good Yankee ballclub will be making their only visit to Oakland in early September.

It has been 27 years since the A’s last World Series. I vividly remember I was calling their games in Spanish back then, including the time there was a great run with LaRussa’s teams from 1988-90.

Maybe the young, exciting A’s will go all the way this year. After three consecutive finishes in last place, one thing is for sure, history will not repeat itself in 2018, but only God knows what the A’s have in store for the next two months.

So get ready for the A’s bandwagon to fill up soon!

Listen to the A’s in Spanish on KIQI 1010 AM and 990 AM radio in the Bay Area and Sacramento, Calif. Also, tune into the SAP (Secondary Audio Channel) on NBC Sports California to see and hear the games in Spanish.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 1962 Mets? Move Over, Here Comes the 2018 Orioles

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Photo credit: @Orioles

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games during their inaugural season. That year the Mets started play in New York a few years after the Brooklyn Dodgers left for Los Angeles and the New York Giants left for San Francisco. With the 1962 Mets, the National League had a new team in town and they adopted the colors of Dodger blue and Met orange. The Mets’ manager was the very colorful Casey Stangel. They played 1962 at the old Giants park, the Polo Grounds, while they were building Shea Stadium in Queens.

With the worst record in history, the 1962 Mets ended their season in last place with a 40-120 record and 60 1/2 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants, who went on to the World Series and lost in seven games against the New York Yankees. Things were easier back then, as each league had 10 teams and after they won the pennant in a few days they went directly to the World Series.

Besides the 1962 Mets, other bad teams include the 1904 Washington Senators (38-113), the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117), the 1932 Boston Red Sox (43-111), the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115), and most recently, the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who came within one game of tying the Mets, with a 40-119 record.

Right now, the 2018 Orioles are on a pace to lose around 128 games.On this day, the Orioles have a 28-73 record, and there are 61 games remaining, before their game tonight versus the Boston Red Sox in Baltimore, Maryland.

How they talk in New York, it could be, “Forget about it” for the 1962 Mets in a couple of months, which is not something that veteran skipper Buck Showalter is looking forward to, but something he likely is not be able to prevent.

Baseball is like horse racing, you can have the best jockey in the world, but if the horse is limping, you are never going to win the race.

Bay Bridge Series: A’s and Giants–Two Teams Going in Different Directions

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s took four out the six games from the San Francisco Giants these past two weekends and the A’s won the first ever Bay Bridge Series trophy. The A’s won two out of three at AT&T Park and did the same at the Oakland Coliseum. The two Bay Area teams crossed path like two ships in the open sea with one full steam ahead and the other one just trying to stay afloat.

The A’s acquired Mets closer Jeurys Familia, and on his first day with the A’s on Sunday, the Dominican native saw action as he pitched two effective innings in relief and won the game. Now, Familia is 5-4 and comes from the Mets–a team going nowhere with perhaps a seize of taking the cellar-dweller status away from the Marlins–with 17 saves in 21 opportunities. The A’s are contenders and still looking to land a starter.

On Saturday, a new attendance record was set at the Oakland Coliseum since 1968–a record-setting 56,318 in attendance as Mount Davis was opened to the public for the first time in 13 years. On Friday, 45,606 followed by Sunday’s 44,379. A grand total of 146,303 attended for part two of the Bay Bridge Series.

It is good to see this great rivalry. Also, the Bay Area Champion Trophy was a great idea. At the Coliseum this weekend, a lot of families were in attendance–many of whom had different loyalties. So it was not rare to see,some A’s fans and some Giants fans in the same family. As I walked around for an hour before game time, I noticed nothing but joy among the fans during this great series, the first in Oakland since the All-Star Break, with good weather.

Right now, the Giants have a much different look. Right now, the A’s are young, aggressive and exciting as they’re hitting home runs in bunches, while the Giants are pretty much a veteran ball club trying to hold on and return to the form of their most recent odd-year dynasty.

The Giants have a superb fan base and likely do not want to mention the word “rebuild” and they are hoping against hope that their team have enough to make a comeback. They’re playing in a division, where it looks like the Dodgers (now with Manny Machado) are the favorites to win for a six straight time and maybe earn themselves another trip to another World Series. Duggar, Slater, Moronta and Suárez are some of the young blood on the Giants’ roster trying to make an impression compared to the veterans. Only time will tell, but if the Giants continue to hover around the .500 mark, the powers-to-be might have to star selling players before July 31. In a way, they are very lucky to be playing in the NL West, where nobody has gotten really hot, taken first place and opened a big lead.

But I notice that these two teams are going in different directions. The A’s are playing four games starting tomorrow at Arlington, Texas, against the last-place Texas Rangers, three at Denver against the contending Colorado Rockies, and then return home on July 30 for a eight-game homestand over 10 days–three versus the Toronto Blue Jays, three versus the Detroit Tigers, and finally, a two-game set versus the Dodgers.

The Giants head to Seattle for a couple of games at Safeco Field against the Mariners next Tuesday and Wednesday, travel back to San Francisco to host the contending Milwaukee Brewers for four games and then fly to San Diego to close out July against the Padres for a brief two-game series.

Will the Giants ‘back up the truck’ if by then? If they have not made a run? Only the shadow knows. Stay tuned.

Obviously, the Giants want to continue with this cast and hope that Joe Panik and Evan Longoria get back to play and roll the dice! It’s interesting enough that the Giants’ No. 1 pitcher Madison Bumgarner and No. 2 pitcher Johnny Cueto have not fared that well after coming out of the DL. This Sunday, Cueto gave up four home runs–two to Khris Davis and two to Matt Olson. When Cueto was pitching this week, he doesn’t give the long-ball with that frequency, but the A’s continue to hit home runs with the best of teams in baseball this season.

The Giants have a lot of big contracts locked to players like Cueto, Samardzija and Melancon, while they will have to make a decision with Bumgarner…to extend his contract or even trade him in the current market where everybody is looking for pitchers. We will also find out if other guys like veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen will say ‘adios’ to San Francisco.

Amaury Pi-González is on his 41st season of broadcasting the MLB. He’s currently broadcasting for the A’s (his first team in 1977) and has also broadcasted the Giants, Angels and Mariners. In 2010, the Cuban-born broadcaster was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame (BARHOD) alongside Jon Miller and Gary Radnich. As far as baseball in Spanish, Pi-Gonzalez is only the second broadcaster in the country as the longtime Spanish voice of the Dodgers, trailing Jaime Jarrin, who has been broadcasting for over 50 years.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Oakland A’s–What a Difference a Year Makes!

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — Part two of the Bay Bridge Series continues on Friday, July 20, at the Oakland Coliseum, as both Bay Area teams open the second half of their season. The last weekend prior to the All Star break, the A’s took two out of the three games against the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

On this date in 2017, the A’s did not play. However, the next day–the first game of the second half–on July 21, they had a record of 43-53 and were in fifth (last place) with 23 games behind the Houston Astros.

As the A’s open the second half of this season, their record is 55-42 and they’re in third place, eight games behind the first-place Houston Astros and three games behind the second-place Seattle Mariners for a Wild Card spot.  From 2017 to 2018 to date, that’s an improvement of 12 more games won and 11 less games lost.

Anywho, the Giants on July 20, 2017, were in last place in the National League West with a record of 37-61, 29 1/2 games out of first-place, which was held by the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants ended in the cellar last year as they lost 98 games. In the second half of last season, the Giants had one of the worse second halves in their history, winning just 27 more games to to end the season with a 64-98 record. Because 2017 was such a pathetic season for the Orange and Black, they’re better this season. The Giants begin this series against the A’s in fourth place with 50-48 record, four games behind the first-place Dodgers and also four games behind a Wild Card berth.

Both teams are fighting to get into the postseason at this time, which is a totally different situation at this time last year when both teams finished in last place in their respective divisions. The big difference this season is that the A’s weren’t expected to contend. The Giants acquired two veteran players in Evan Longoria, who should return to the lineup soon, and Andrew McCutchen.

Both clubs have their fair share of injuries, especially to their pitching staffs, with the Giants suffering more than the A’s when it comes to position players. Two regulars, second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Evan Longoria are still out.

Both teams, however, should be buyers. July 31 is the trade deadline, and after that day, players have to clear waivers and trades will become more complicated.

Notes: The A’s  released veteran Santiago Casilla. The 37-year-old pitched in 26 games in relief with a 3.16 earned run average. The Dominican began his career with the A’s in 2004, went to the Giants for the next six seasons, and came back home full circle to the A’s in 2017.

The A’s announced they’re opening Mount Davis, 8,190 seats behind center field this Saturday, and the game is at 6:05 pm PDT. On that day, the A’s will honor their 1989 World Champion team, who won the World Series against the Giants. Many A’s stars of the 1989 roster will be on hand.

The current total capacity of the Coliseum is 56,782. The record attendance for an A’s game at the Coliseum was established on June 26, 2004. Also, an A’s game against the Giants would’ve seen 55,989.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Posey to sit out All-Star game to rest hip will get cortisone Sun ; Can A’s win a series in Houston?

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mercurynews.com file photo: Giants catcher Buster Posey slides in file photo will be out of the All Star game to rest hip and get a cortisone shot after Sunday’s game

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey announced before Monday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park in San Francisco that he will sit out next week’s All-Star game to rest his hip. The St. Louis Cardinals’ catcher Yadier Molina will be the National League’s signal-caller in place of Posey.

For the A’s-Astros series in Houston, the question is can the A’s break the spell and win a series at Minute Maid Field? The A’s have played some great ball of late with key hitting and great closer help from Blake Treinen, who has 22 saves, just might make a series out of it.

The Chicago White Sox’s Jose Abreu could be joining the Astros during this current Astros homestand. Abreu for the season is hitting .259 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. It would be ironic if he could join the Astros during this series against the A’s.

The Arizona Diamondbacks had an executive from the club scouting at Comerica Park last Sunday to watch pitcher Michael Fulmer 3-8 ERA 4.11. Last Sunday, Fulmer delivered seven strong innings. The Diamondbacks are looking to get some help in their quest to hold onto first place and the postseason and Fulmer is someone they feel that can help the club.

On Monday, there were possible trade possibilities between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles. The Brewers were very interested in obtaining Manny Machado’s services and sending Brett Phillips to the O’s. Phillips had a great minor league season last year, hitting .317; but has struggled in the Brewers’ triple-A system this year. The Yankees have also expressed interest in Machado, which actually is a very likely scenario for Machado.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio play-by-play talent and goes through all the trade rumors and All-Star break news at http://www.sportsradioservice.com