Dodgers, Athletics, and the 5-4 Score

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 9:10 AM PDT in Research Comment 34 comments

Every time a Dodgers-A's game ends 5-4, the postgame celebration looks like this.

The Dodgers and Athletics have played 30 games against each other in their history, including 10 World Series games. The Dodgers are only 4-13 in Oakland, but they have won nine of 13 at Dodger Stadium.

There have been three 5-4 games in the all-time series, and each one resulted in a celebration at home plate at Dodger Stadium:

1) Last Night

The Dodgers take a 2-0 lead into the 8th, give up a couple of home runs to trail 4-2, rally to tie in the 8th, then win the game on a Matt Kemp single in the 10th. The Dodgers improved to 12-1 in one-run games at home.

Kevin Baxter of the LA Times tells us:

"We're a good team," said Kemp, who kept the eighth-inning rally alive by breaking up a double play with a hard slide at second. "We're capable of doing some things and it's showing."

2) August 29, 1997

The game was tied at three going into the 10th inning, when rookie shortstop Miguel Tejada, who hit his first major league home run earlier in the game, singled in a run off of Antonio Osuna to give the A's a 4-3 lead. The Dodgers staged a rally in the bottom of the inning, with plate appearances by Greg Gagne, Darren Lewis, Billy Ashley, and Eric Young. Chris Baker of the LA Times reported what happened next:

With the Dodgers trailing, 4-3, Otis Nixon, who had only 13 hits in 66 at-bats since joining the Dodgers, drove in the winning runs with a two-run, one-out, bases-loaded single in the 10th inning off reliever T.J. Mathews.

Nixon, who also scored the Dodgers' first run, received a standing ovation after he belted Mathews' first pitch into left field with the outfield drawn in.

"I knew they were going to play me in," Nixon said after the Dodgers improved to 8-4 in interleague play. "I didn't go in looking for a breaking ball. I was going to make him throw the ball over the plate."

The win gave the Dodgers a 2 game lead over the Giants with 26 games to play, a lead the Dodgers would eventually relinquish.

3) October 15, 1988

This was Game 1 of the World Series. You may have heard about this game recently.

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Comments

I had forgotten the score of the game that broke the backs of the A's was also 5 - 4.

I’m still irritated they banned me for having just a twee bit of fun.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 10:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d like to say your banning was part of the reason for this post, but I can’t. Still, it’s nice to enjoy their comeuppance.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to do a post that is not very friendly to the other team in the Bay. Sorry I'm just built that way.

I’ll post it after we sweep.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It will be great…I just forgot about it. If I would have remembered, this post could have been funnier and more spiteful :)

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm a little surprised

you got the heave-ho, but overall, you have to understand that our mood has more to do with the team’s sucktitude than anything else. You can we’re a sensitive bunch right now.

I connected the 5-4 score immediately. And I even noticed that LA scored the first two, the A’s scored the next four, and the Dodgers scored the last three. Just like that night that still gives me nightmares.

You can read more about it here.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 17, 2009 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is a wonderful article. Very well-written and thorough.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Appreciate that, thank you.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 17, 2009 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good stuff

It took me a while to get over 1974 but when you beat the Giants in 89 I became an A’s fan. Eck was always a class act after he became an Athletic and I loved Ricky, Stewart, and Welch. Not a fan anymore, I like Scosicia to much to root against him.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

If anything unites A’s and Dodger fans it is our disdain for the Giants. Scosicia is obviously another bad word around our parts.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 17, 2009 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To bad for them

I was sitting right next to the A beat writers and was going to ask them some questions for your group. We have fun with the perfect game here on True Blue because we all came from Dodger Thoughts where we are not allowed to jinx anyone’s no hitter so sometimes we go overboard here on calling a no hitter as soon as it hits three innings.

I didn’t register on your site to troll, I registered because we were going to be playing you for three games and I wanted the ability to comment. The one thread in particular about being happy you didn’t get Andy LaRoche but because you have a 24 hour policy I didn’t bother because the thread was already buried.

If you don’t allow roto talk that is cool but you should warn a new comer. I didn’t really want to talk about my roto team, I just wanted to let them know I wasn’t trying to jinx Braden, it would not have been in my self interest to do so.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the reply to the roto comment

was all in fun. Would have loved to read up on those questions with our beat writers. AN does get it share of trolls, hence the 24-hour policy.

I honestly didn’t see anything wrong with the perfect game comment, and I am as superstitious as they come. We’re just a grumpy group right now, which is a shame really, because I enjoy the interaction with other fans, so long as its all in fun.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 17, 2009 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone know why the crowd was so pumped for Mitch Jones? I mean, there have been other guys this year who have gotten their first taste of the bigs (Paul, Hoffmann) who didn’t get nearly the same reaction.

Was there an explanation or something that he was a 31-year-old career minor leaguer?

by silverwidow on Jun 17, 2009 11:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Someone on DT said it was posted on the video board that he was 31 and spent 9½ years in the minors.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah

The cheering makes more sense then.

by Brendan Scolari on Jun 18, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Laker parade

The Laker parade turnout is incredible… what will it be like when the Dodgers finally win a World Series?!

by UCLAClass82 on Jun 17, 2009 12:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm watching a bit at lunch

And the turnout is amazing. Guaranteed Bill Simmons will write about how Kobe is wearing a different shirt. :)

The Dodger parade will be amazing in 4 months.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another reason Joel Myers should be fired

He just said Magic won 4 titles in the 80s

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 12:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

great game

Great game , I love this team , great chemistry ,Martin is in a slupmp but that’s ok they all seam to be picking each other up when a team mate is down.
Manny who?????

by SARA S on Jun 17, 2009 1:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

5, not 3, is the magic number.

In other news, I bought a pack of those Topps Heritage cards, excited about getting a Dodger in the pack.

I thumb through the lot quickly, looking for that beautiful and intertwined “LA”. And I see it. Twice! I wonder, “Ethier or Kemp!? Billingsley or Broxton!?”

Instead, I get . . . Juan Pierre. I sigh. Surely the next card will be better.

I flip through some more cards and find the LA card. I look at it closer and see . . . Brad Penny? Brad Penny!? What. The.. Fuck.

How can the baseball card gods be so cruel?

by Dr. Geek on Jun 17, 2009 1:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Did you every make progress on your 1959 Topps Dodger set?

I will probably make a trek to my local baseball card shop this week, so I’ll check for you.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I placed a few bids on ebay for several nearly complete sets but was outbid at the last minute.

I appreciate the gesture.

by Dr. Geek on Jun 17, 2009 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That does suck

especially the Penny card.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is Brian Giles

the worst regular player in baseball now?

by silverwidow on Jun 17, 2009 1:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Seems like it

I remember when Ned was trying to get him to sign and he spurned us to stay with the Padres. Thank God.

Actually quite a large group of very bad players right now. Chris Young and Garrett Atkins might give him a run for worse offensive player who you take into account position but Rollins might win based on reputation.
http://www.bb-ref.com/play-index/shareit/uGTk

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

better list here

http://www.bb-ref.com/play-index/shareit/Q9rf

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

Don’t know how he fell so far so quick. It’s the Andruw juice I guess.

by Brendan Scolari on Jun 18, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jonthan Broxton will be a guest in about 10 minutes on The Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio.

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 2:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Matt Kemp already is at 3.1 WAR in 2009.

In 2008, he was at 3.3 WAR for the whole year.

he leads WAR for all center fielders. I’d argue that he’s our most valuable position player now.

by Tripon on Jun 17, 2009 3:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Who would you argue with?

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't know, D4P?

Last time I talked with him, he thought that Kemp was going to be sent to the bench to let JP play center.

by Tripon on Jun 17, 2009 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

When the Dodgers are winning, as they are now, he’s not around as much. :)

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

3 out of 4 players I forgot existed as Dodgers

Greg Gagne, Darren Lewis, Billy Ashley, and Eric Young.

Only the latter I remember well. Ashley I remember was a Dodger farmhand, but barely remember his ML games. I just remember he was big, strong, a lot of potential power, and a terrible player otherwise. Darren Lewis was a Dodger? {repressed memory} Greg Gagne, the Gagne we don’t remember.

by underdog on Jun 17, 2009 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I was shocked by the Darren Lewis reference. I completely forgot about him. I also must have suppressed the Otis Nixon Dodger experience. :)

by Eric Stephen on Jun 17, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I remember them all

Darren Lewis used to bug me because he had this reputation as a great center fielder because he didn’t make any errors. I wonder what UZR or +/- would say about him because I thought he was overrated.

Gagne was a smooth shortstop, he was a pleasure to watch.

I would have loved to have seen Billy Ashley’s BP. The kid was rushed, I wonder if we hadn’t rushed him if he’d had a different career.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Jun 17, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs