Oakland Athletics defeat Rays with only one hit
By Hayden Kane
The Oakland Athletics are the proud owners of the best record in baseball with a 30-16 record.
They have dominated opponents with a deep and talented team that takes advantage of its opportunities. Entering Thursday they enjoyed a borderline absurd +99 run differential on the season.
On Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays the A’s took the concept of capitalizing on opportunities to a new level. Having scored two runs without a hit thanks to errors and walks early in the game, the A’s eventually won 3-2 thanks to a home run from Brandon Moss – their only hit in the game.
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As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, the A’s made history with this victory in a couple ways. For one thing, it was the first time in 100 years that the A’s one a regular season game with just one hit. It was the first time since 2006 that a team won with a home run as their only hit.
When asked after the game, Rays manager Joe Maddon couldn’t muster much frustration. He was just in awe at what had happened:
"“It’s really one of the more unusual games to lose. I’m smiling only because it was such as awkward way to lose. … This really is a strange loss tonight.’’"
There is a certain degree of luck with a victory like this one, but the best teams are consistently in position to take advantage of good luck. That has certainly been the case with A’s so far in 2014.