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 Sonny Gray showed them the way.
The right-hander pitched a shutout and the Athletics clinched the
American League's second wild-card spot with a 4-0 victory over the
Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Right fielder Josh Reddick and first baseman Stephen Vogt had
run-scoring hits in the second for Oakland, which added two runs in
the ninth.
It was all more than enough for Gray (14-10), who gave up six hits,
walked none and struck out five.
The A's (88-74), who entered the game needing a win or a Seattle
Mariners loss to clinch a playoff berth, will travel to Kansas City
for the AL wild-card game on Tuesday evening.
"We've talked about these last two weeks all we need to do is get in
... find a way to get in," Gray said. "I know we're not playing well
right now, but just get in.
"Nothing else mattered today except us winning. I did my best to
make sure that happened."
Gray looked much more like the pitcher who was one of the top
fireballers in the AL before encountering a tough stretch in his
last 10 starts.
After being staked to a 2-0 lead in the first, he responded by
retiring the Rangers in order in a 10-pitch shutdown third inning.
Texas put runners at the corners with no outs in the fifth, but Gray
struck out designated hitter Luis Sardinas and then got out of the
inning by inducing a double play grounder from of first baseman Adam
Rosales.
After that fifth inning, Gray retired nine of the next 10 hitters.
Gray recorded 27 outs in 103 pitches, which is all the more
impressive considering he posted a 1-6 record with a 4.64 ERA in his
last 10 starts. Gray was 12-3 with a 2.65 ERA in his first 21
starts.
Even with his recent struggles, Oakland had the right guy on the
mound. Gray has big-game experience, having pitched in two pressure
cookers in last year's AL Division Series.
"This was just as much pressure if not more," Gray said. "We've got
a lot of guys who have been there. Once our backs were against the
wall we were able to up our performance."
Nick Martinez (5-12) suffered the loss, giving up two runs on four
hits while striking out two in 5 2/3 innings for the Rangers
(67-95), who finished last in the AL West Division yet closed the
season winning 13 of their last 16 games.
Texas entered the season with big expectations, only to see them
wither away amid back-breaking injuries to both their rotation and
position players.
After giving up two runs in the second, Martinez set down the next
13 hitters, a streak intact when he was relieved by left-handed
pitcher Derek Holland in the sixth inning. They combined to retire
17 straight and 19 of 20 from the second to the eighth.
"From the start of the year to the end it was tough," Rangers
shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "But everything happens for a reason.
It was a learning process for us.
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"A lot of young guys got a chance to play in different situations.
I'm excited for next year."
Left fielder Brandon Moss led off the second with a double. Reddick
followed with his seventh triple of the season. With one out, Vogt
drove in Reddick with a base hit to left.
Oakland catcher Geovany Soto, who had two hits, singled putting
runners at the corners. The next two hitters, second baseman Eric
Sogard, the No. 9 hitter, and center fielder Coco Crisp let Martinez
off the hook with fly outs to center.
Oakland added two in the ninth, one unearned after a throwing error
by Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre allowed leadoff hitter Alberto
Callaspo to reach.
Shortstop Jed Lowrie base hit through the right side of the infield,
scoring Callaspo and Reddick.
Holland, who was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start because
of migraine headaches, gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits
and an intentional walk over 2 2/3 innings.
The A's found themselves in a must-win position in Game 162 after
going 15-30 dating to Aug. 10, when they had a four-game lead in the
AL West and a season-high 28 games over .500. They held an 11-game
lead for the first wild-card spot.
But the A's and Gray found a way by playing good baseball on the
last day of the regular season.
"We're ready to go," Gray said. "Johnny Gomes put it best, 'If we're
not going in the front door, let's just find a way in.'
"We did that today. Now the pressure is off and we can just go out
there and play."
NOTES: Oakland manager Bob Melvin said before the game that he did
not consider this game to be "all hands on deck," suggesting that he
planned to save LHP Jon Lester for a potential play-in game on
Monday or the wild-card game on Tuesday. ... Texas interim manager
Tim Bogar stayed with RHP Nick Martinez to start Sunday with LHP
Derek Holland thought to be a possibility after being scratched
Saturday with migraine headaches. "When Derek came in this morning,
he looked like he didn't have a lot of energy," Bogar said. "The
conversation I had with him led me to believe he wasn't confident in
his ability to go out there and compete."
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