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Best western Hudson pitches A's to first division title since 1992
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jason Giambi had three words for the New York Yankees. "Bring them on!" he exclaimed in the champagne-drenched Oakland clubhouse after the Athletics clinched the AL West title and a first-round playoff series against the two-time World Series champions. Tim Hudson earned his 20th victory, beating the Texas Rangers 3-0 Sunday in the regular-season finale. It was scoreless until Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI double in the seventh, and Randy Velarde and Olmedo Saenz each added solo home runs in the eighth. The A's, who will go to the playoffs for the first time since 1992, join Atlanta as the only teams with 11 division titles. After the game, the A's spilled onto the field in celebration. Matt Stairs and some of his teammates hoisted Giambi on their shoulders and paraded him before the sellout crowd, which chanted "MVP! MVP!" Giambi batted .400 in September with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs. The last Oakland player with that many home runs in a month was Mark McGwire in July, 1996.
Although he was hitless Sunday, Giambi had 43 home runs and 137 RBIs this season. "I can't even describe this," Giambi said, soaked in champagne after the game and dwarfed by a the swarm of reporters and television cameras around him. "There are no words for this. I mean, it's been incredible coming to the ballpark every day. My brother [Jeremy] is playing with me. It's unbelievable" With the victory, the Athletics avoided a trip to Tampa Bay for a makeup game Monday and got extra time to prepare for the playoffs. Oakland's game at Tampa Bay on Sept. 18 was postponed because of Hurricane Gordon. The Cleveland Indians beat Toronto 11-4 earlier in the day, preventing the A's from clinching a playoff spot prior to their game. The A's started the day with a half-game lead over Seattle in the AL West. The Mariners clinched the wild card with by beating Anaheim 5-2. There had been talk that manager Art Howe would hold Hudson (20-6) if Cleveland lost, but the he decided Saturday night he would start his ace, regardless of the circumstances. "During the postseason, you want to have home-field advantage as much as possible. That's why I wanted Hudson to pitch," Howe said. "I wanted him to win here in front of the hometown fans, to get his 20th." Hudson gave up four hits and struck out 10 in eight scoreless innings. He became Oakland's first 20-game winner since Dave Stewart and Bob Welch each did it in 1990. Hudson has won seven straight starts. His last loss was Aug. 23 at Cleveland. Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless ninth, working around two hits, for his 33rd save. "I would have liked it to be 1-2-3, but I'll take it," Isringhausen said. A day after the A's pounded the Rangers 23-2, the two teams were scoreless through six innings.
Velarde hit his home run to deep center field, his 12th of the season, in the eighth inning. An out later, pinch-hitter Saenz also homered. Glynn, who finishes the season with a four-game losing streak, went seven innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He struck out four and walked four. Texas had threatened in the fifth when Mike Lamb hit a single up the middle and Scott Shelton was hit in the shoulder with a pitch thrown so hard it knocked him over. Randy Knorr's sacrifice bunt advanced Lamb and Shelton, but Scarborough Green's grounder was deftly handled by A's second baseman Velarde and Lamb was thrown out at home. Royce Clayton grounded out to end the inning. "It's tough to play when one team is playing for all the marbles, and the other is really going nowhere," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. The A's take on the Yankees in Oakland on Tuesday. The Yankees plan to start Roger Clemens against the A's Gil Heredia. But for at least one night, the A's weren't thinking about the future. They were savoring the moment. "I don't really care who is coming here," Isringhausen said. "I'm just happy to be in the playoffs." Notes: The A's have three pitchers with 15 wins, three players with 100 RBI and three players with 100 runs scored. ... At 71-91, the Rangers finished with the most losses since 1988, when they were 70-91. ... Texas is the fourth team in major league history to win a division title in one season and finish last in the division the next. ... Howe announced that his starters for the first round of the playoffs would be Gil Heredia (15-11) and Kevin Appier (15-11). ... The game was officially a sellout with 45,606 in attendance.
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