Connie Mack, Bash Brothers and 20 straight wins: Looking back on best A's seasons

There are plenty of great teams to choose from in a historic Athletics franchise that has seen nine World Series titles. Some of the greatest squads, however, came up short of a championship despite dominant regular seasons and star-studded rosters.

Here are the top five seasons in A’s history:

1. 1931: 107-45
Postseason: Lost in the World Series, 4-3

Coming off back-to-back World Series titles, the A’s dominated through the 1931 season with stars all around.

The offense was led by the Hall of Fame trio of Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane. Meanwhile, the pitching side was anchored by another Hall of Famer in Lefty Grove, who won the AL MVP Award in ’31 after winning the pitching Triple Crown for a second straight year by going 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA and 175 strikeouts.

The A’s matched up with the Cardinals in the World Series for a second consecutive season. This time, though, it was St. Louis coming out on top in a series that went all seven games. Still, the 107 wins that year remains the A’s franchise record for most wins in a regular season.

2. 1929: 104-46
Postseason: Won the World Series, 4-1

After not having appeared in the World Series since 1914, the A’s returned to dominance under manager Connie Mack with the trio of Simmons, Foxx and Cochrane powering the offense. But this lineup was deeper than that, also including second baseman Max Bishop at the top, as well as George “Mule” Haas, who hit .313 with 16 homers and 82 RBIs.

Grove went 20-6 with a 2.81 ERA, headlining a rotation that also featured Rube Walberg (18-11, 3.60 ERA) and George Earnshaw (24-8, 3.29 ERA).

The A’s met up with the Cubs in a rematch of the 1910 World Series. Just like that series 19 years prior, the A’s took it in five games, with Bing Miller clinching the championship on a walk-off double in Game 5.

3. 1988: 104-58
Postseason: Lost in the World Series, 4-1

You could make a case for the ’88 A’s being one of the greatest squads to have never won a World Series. There certainly was no shortage of stars, from Bash Brothers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco to a talented pitching staff featuring Dave Stewart and Bob Welch, along with Dennis Eckersley routinely closing out the end of games.

It was a truly dominant regular season. Canseco created the 40-40 club, becoming the first player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season. McGwire slugged 32 homers to go with 99 RBIs, and Walt Weiss won AL Rookie of the Year. On the mound, Stewart went 21-12 with a 3.23 ERA, while Welch went 17-9 with a 3.64 ERA. In the bullpen, Eckersley notched 45 saves.

The A’s made quick work of the Red Sox in the ALCS with a 4-0 sweep. Once the World Series against the Dodgers began, though, they were on the wrong side of baseball history in Game 1 when a hobbled Kirk Gibson famously launched a pinch-hit walk-off home run off Eckersley. That set the tone for a series which Los Angeles won in five games.

4. 1989: 99-63
Postseason: Won the World Series, 4-0

The A’s were on a mission. After their powerhouse team lost the World Series in ’88, they reloaded the squad the next year, bringing back franchise icon Rickey Henderson in a key midseason trade with the Yankees.

Between a dominant lineup and strong pitching staff, the A’s dominated through the regular season and carried that dominance into the playoffs by dispatching the Blue Jays in five games in the ALCS. That set up an ultimate Battle of the Bay with the Giants in the Fall Classic.

The A’s took the first two games against San Francisco, then came an unexpected earthquake that rattled the Bay Area and caused major damage around the region, halting the series for 10 days. The series resumed on Oct. 27, and the A’s were right back to business, taking the next two games in San Francisco for a sweep, with Oakland native Stewart earning World Series MVP honors for his dominant efforts in Games 1 and 3.

5. 2002: 103-59
Postseason: Lost in the ALDS, 3-2

The A’s had just won 102 games the year before, but that team lost some key pieces entering 2003, none bigger than superstar Jason Giambi after he signed a large contract with the Yankees. The team still had an MVP-caliber hitter in Miguel Tejada and a rotation anchored by The Big Three (Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder), but the club got off to a rough 19-25 start. Then came a run for the ages.

The A’s shook up their roster in May by making a few trades, including Jeremy Giambi to the Phillies for John Mabry, and got back on track by going 49-26 in their 75 games after May 22. The defining stretch, of course, began on Aug. 13, when the A’s won their first of 20 consecutive games for a historic streak capped by Scott Hatteberg’s dramatic walk-off homer against the Royals on Sept. 4.

The A’s were eliminated from the playoffs by the Twins in the ALDS, but the “Moneyball” A’s will forever be remembered.