Indians on verge of tying AL mark
Oakland ’02 players pulling for Cleveland
As the Cleveland Indians whirled off wins left and right the past few weeks, members of the A’s 2002 team took notice.
“I was watching one night and it kind of sunk in that they were doing this,” former Oakland first baseman Scott Hatteberg said Monday. “They kind of sneaked up on everyone. I don’t think it’s as easy as people make it out to be — the record stood for, what, 65 years when we broke it.”
Hatteberg hit one of the most storied homers in franchise history Sept. 4, 2002, a walk-off shot that gave the A’s a 12-11 win over Kansas City — their American League-record 20th victory in a row.
Only the 1916 New York Giants (26 games) and
the 1935 Chicago Cubs (21) had longer streaks in the NL.
Cleveland’s streak stands at 19 after an 11-0 rout of Detroit on Monday.
“They have all the ingredients, like we did,” A’s vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said. “They have a starter with a chance to throw a shutout every night, like we did. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did it. They have a great team. If they end up breaking it, they’re certainly worthy.”
Hatteberg’s homer and the 20-game winning streak are the key dramatic baseball moments in the movie “Moneyball.” So are the A’s feeling proprietary about the record as the Indians stack up win after win?
“Man, I don’t know,” said Hatteberg, who is now a special assistant in the A’s front office. “That would be pretty selfish. Records are made to be broken, and if someone’s going to do it, that team’s a good one — I love Terry Francona. There couldn’t be a better manager to guide a team through this. He’s so nopressure, easygoing.”
Ex-A’s have universal praise for Francona, who was Oakland’s bench coach in 2003.
“Francona has a lot to do with the whole thing,” longtime A’s third baseman Eric Chavez said. “Winning follows him everywhere.”
Former A’s pitcher-turnedbroadcaster Mark Mulder said he does feel a little nostalgic about the record. “Is it really cool to say we won 20 in a row and no one else has done it in recent years? Yeah, sure,” Mulder said. “But then again, I couldn’t tell you if I’ve ever actually said that. I do have a really nice plaque on my wall with the scores of all the games and a photo, which is a pretty cool thing to have.”
Chavez, who now works in the Angels’ front office, is openly rooting for Cleveland.
“I think they’re going to do it, too,” Chavez said. “They have a chance to break it. They’re hitting on all cylinders.”
Outfielder Eric Byrnes was equally enthusiastic. “I love it,” he said. “The thing that’s so special about what we’re doing and what we did is that it’s no longer about individuals — it’s all about the team. You go 0for-4 and you don’t care, and that’s really rare when it’s 100 percent all team.”
Dan Otero, who pitched for the A’s playoff teams in 2013-14, is now in the Cleveland bullpen. He said Monday that Byrnes’ assessment is bang on the money. “It’s just been such a collaborative effort,” Otero said. “We swept two doubleheaders on the road, which never happens, and guys have to step up for that to happen. We’ve had players making their debuts and coming up big. It’s been so fun.”
Beane said the Indians are in a better position to savor the streak than were the A’s 15 years ago; they gained only 1½ games on the second-place Angels.
“I will say this: Cleveland is enjoying this more than we did, because no matter how many games we won, Anaheim was nipping at our heels,” Beane said. “You’d think you’d wake up every day in a great mood, but there were the Angels.”
Otero is aware of how important the “Moneyball” winstreak legacy was in Oakland: the “20” banner in the outfield, the Sports Illustrated covers in the clubhouse. “It is neat to be chasing that history now,” he said.
The Bay Area might have helped when it comes to the Indians catching fire, Otero figures. The defending AL champions played a full week here right after the All-Star break, and the last place A’s and Giants took five of six games, knocking the Indians’ division lead down to half a game. Cleveland responded by winning the next nine games. The Indians are 40-11 since that disappointing stay by the bay.
“Maybe that was it, getting our butts kicked on the West Coast,” Otero said.
Cleveland has a league-best 88-56 record.
“The Indians have been so fun to watch,” said Byrnes, who is now an MLB Network studio analyst. “I would love to see them surpass the record. I know what a special time it was in all of our lives. It’s just a giddy feeling.”