A's Stat of the Day: September/October 2021

MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Athletics this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.

• A’s Stat of the Day, August 2021

Oct. 3: Astros 7, A's 6 -- Canha finishes tied for HBP lead
It took until the final day of the regular season, but Mark Canha will finish the 2021 season tied with Seattle's Ty France for the most hit-by-pitches this season. Canha was hit by a pitch from Astros starter José Urquidy in the first inning. Canha's 27 hit-by-pitches set the A's single-season record.

Oct. 2: Astros 10, A's 4 -- Pinder stays hot
Chad Pinder's RBI double extended his hitting streak to seven games. He continues a strong finish to his 2021 campaign, now batting .289 (22-for-76) in 28 games since being reinstated from the injured list on Aug. 20.

Oct. 1: A's 8, Astros 6 -- Marte matches personal best
With two more stolen bases in the win, Starling Marte brought his Major League-leading total to 47. That also matches his most stolen bases over a single season, having also swiped 47 bags in 2016 with the Pirates.

Sept. 29: Mariners 4, A's 2 -- Montas makes K history
With seven strikeouts, Frankie Montas brought his season total to 207. That 207-mark is now the most strikeouts over a single season by a right-hander in Oakland history and stands alone for second-most by any A's pitcher. He trails only A's legend Vida Blue, who struck out an astonishing 301 batters over the 1971 season.

Sept. 28: Mariners 4, A's 2 -- Diekman's K sets A's milestone
Jake Diekman's strikeout of Kyle Seager in the seventh inning marked the 1,300th strikeout by A's pitching this season, which sets a new single-season record. The previous club record was 1,299 strikeouts, recorded in 2019. That figure was tied before Diekman's strikeout with Sergio Romo's fifth-inning punchout of Mitch Haniger.

Sept. 27: Mariners 13, A's 4 -- Chapman breaks strikeout record
Matt Chapman's second strikeout of the night was his 198th this season, which broke Jack Cust's record (197 in 2008) for most strikeouts over a single season in A's history.

Sept. 26: A's 4, Astros 3 -- A's again walk-off kings
Mark Canha's game-winning single notched the A's their 12th walk-off win of the season, which is tied for the most in the Majors and the third most over a single season in Oakland history.

Sept. 25: A's 2, Astros 1 -- A historic routine play
Matt Chapman notched his 163rd putout of the season by catching a popup in the first inning off the bat of Yordan Alvarez. Chapman's 163 putouts are the most by a Major League third baseman since Darrell Evans had 185 for the Braves in 1974.

Sept. 24: A's 14, Astros 2 -- Montas joins 200-K club
Frankie Montas reached 200 strikeouts for the season, becoming the fifth A's pitcher in the Oakland era to reach that mark over a single season and first since Barry Zito, who finished with 205 punchouts in 2001. Vida Blue holds the record with 301 in 1971.

Sept. 23: Mariners 6, A's 5 -- Bassitt reaches a milestone
Bassitt's first strikeout back from injury was a changeup that froze Kyle Seager for strike three, marking the 500th strikeout of his Major League career.

Sept. 22: Mariners 4, A's 1 -- Chapman brings his bat
Matt Chapman's 27th home run of the year -- a solo shot off Chris Flexen in the fifth -- snapped an 0-for-8 hitless streak. Chapman continues to show a rejuvenation of his power, with 13 of his homers coming in his last 30 games.

Sept. 21: Mariners 5, A's 2 -- Olson, Bonds and Griffey
Matt Olson's 37th home run of the year -- a solo shot off Marco Gonzales in the first inning -- was also his 21st homer off a left-handed pitcher this season. That puts him in elite company, matching Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. for most homers against left-handed pitching by a left-handed hitter over a single season.

Sept. 20: Mariners 4, A's 2 -- Marte snaps out of funk
Starling Marte snapped an 0-for-18 hitless streak with an RBI single in the eighth inning. His 0-for-13 stretch over the previous three games marked the first time he went hitless in consecutive games as a member of the A's.

Sept. 19: A's 3, Angels 2 (10) -- A's have Halos' number
The A's not only secured their first three-game series sweep at Angel Stadium since April 9-11, 2013, it was also their 15th win versus their AL West foes this season. The 15 wins over the Halos are the most Oakland has won in a single-season against its division rivals. Their previous season high of 14 wins against the Angels came in 2001. The A's finished their 2021 season series 15-4 against the Angels.

Sept. 18: A's 3, Angels 1 -- Olson passes Canseco
With a solo homer off lefty José Suarez, Matt Olson collected his 47th RBI against left-handed pitchers in 2021. His 47 RBIs set an Oakland record for the most against a southpaw in a single season. The record was previously held by Jose Canseco, who drove in 46 in 1987.

Sept. 17: A's 5, Angels 4 -- Davis' big swing, soft hit
Khris Davis didn't need a whole lot of power behind his fifth-inning swing in order to record a hit. Davis reached base on an infield single toward the third-base bag that had a 53.5 mph exit velocity, the fifth-softest hit of his career, per Baseball Savant. The single was also his softest since July 4, 2017, when he reached base with a single that had a 35.7 mph exit velocity.

Sept. 16: A's 7, Royals 2 -- Andrus' notable HBP
Elvis Andrus helped Oakland set a painful record in the rubber match, as the A's recorded their 87th, 88th and 89th hit-by-pitches on the season. Starling Marte and Tony Kemp were plunked by starter Daniel Lynch in the first and third innings, while Andrus wore one from Jake Brentz in the ninth to establish a club record. The previous benchmark was 88 in 2001.

Sept. 15: A's 12, Royals 10 -- Marte's stolen-base streak ends
OF Starling Marte was a perfect 23-for-23 in stolen bases since joining the A's via trade on July 28 before he was thrown out by Salvador Perez to cap a double play. Despite his streak coming to an end, Marte owns the second longest streak of successful stolen base attempts by a player to start their A's career. Mitchell Page holds the record with 26, which was set in 1977. Marte's 23 stolen bases are the most by an A's player since Rajai Davis had 26 in 2017.

Sept. 14: Royals 10, A's 7 -- Defense remains elite
The A's played another errorless game on Tuesday and have committed just 61 errors, which is second in the Major Leagues to the Astros, who have 59 errors. Oakland is on pace to break the club record for fewest errors in a season. They committed just 80 errors in 2019.

Sept. 12: Rangers 4, A's 3 -- Oly nearing Canseco
Matt Olson's two-run blast off Taylor Hearn pushed his RBI total against left-handers this season to 45. That's one shy of the Oakland single-season recorded held by Jose Canseco, who drove in 46 runs against southpaws in 1987.

Sept. 11: Rangers 8, A's 6 -- Oly goes yard for hit No. 500
Matt Olson's 33rd homer of the year, a solo blast off Wes Benjamin in the third inning, was his 18th of the season off a left-handed pitcher, which leads the Majors. The homer also helped him reach a milestone, as it was the 500th hit of his career.

Sept. 10: A's 10, Rangers 5 -- No homers, no problem
When the A's have a high-scoring performance, those games typically feature home runs. But this 10-run, 16-hit effort against Texas was produced without a ball leaving the park, marking the first time the A's have scored 10 or more runs in a game without a homer since the second game of a doubleheader against the Astros on Sept. 9, 2017.

Sept. 9: A's 3, White Sox 1 -- Manaea's Central success continues
Something about facing American League Central teams brings the best out of Sean Manaea. Tossing seven strong innings of one-run ball, Manaea now holds an 11-game winning streak against AL Central teams that dates back to Aug. 23, 2016.

Sept. 8: A's 5, White Sox 1 -- A rarity from Pinder
Chad Pinder hasn't had the season he would like as he's battled through various injuries, but he provided a big hit against Chicago with an RBI triple that provided some insurance. The triple was his first of the season and first since June 16, 2018.

Sept. 7: White Sox 6, A's 3 -- Marte can't be stopped
Starling Marte continued his electric ways on the basepaths, swiping another bag to push his Major League-leading stolen base total to 43. Now 21-for-21 on stolen base attempts since joining the A's via trade on July 28, Marte owns the second longest streak of successful stolen base attempts by a player to start their A's career. Mitchell Page holds the record with 26, which was set in 1977.

Sept. 5: Blue Jays 8, A's 0 -- A's stifled by Blue Jays
The A's followed up a pair of high-scoring performances with a rare offensive dud on Sunday. Oakland's two hits against Toronto in the series finale marked its lowest single-game hit total of the season.

Sept. 4: Blue Jays 10, A's 8 -- A's stolen-base streak ends
Tony Kemp was nabbed trying to steal second base in the first inning on Saturday afternoon, snapping a streak of 21 consecutive successful stolen-base attempts by the A's. They finished one short of the Oakland record of 22, which was set in 1983 and matched in 1992.

Sept. 3: Blue Jays 11, A's 10 -- Chapman notches 500th hit
Matt Chapman's first of two hits on Friday night -- a booming two-run double off the wall in left -- marked hit No. 500 for his career. The A's third baseman has reached a couple of nice milestones this year, also clubbing his 100th career home run on Aug. 14.

Sept. 2: A's 8, Tigers 6 -- Montas in the zone
After two consecutive scoreless starts of seven innings, Frankie Montas gave his team 6 2/3 frames in the finale, adding seven strikeouts to his career-high total. The big righty has 174 punchouts on the season, tops among the club and fifth-best in the American League, behind only the Yankees' Gerrit Cole (215), the Blue Jays' Robbie Ray (202), and White Sox Dylan Cease (188) and Lucas Giolito (180).

Sept. 1: Tigers 8, A's 6 -- Olson on a mission
It's no secret Matt Olson is having a career season, and the first baseman added to his budding Oakland legend with a three-RBI game, his first since Aug. 1 against the Angels. This two-run double in the fifth inning put the A's in front, giving him 25 such hits on the year. Olson, who finished the night 1-for-2 with a walk, leads the team in RBIs (87) and home runs (32).