ANAHEIM -- Khris Davis had a shot at 50 homers in Sunday's regular-season finale. In falling short, though, the A's slugger accomplished an even rarer feat.
Davis' 0-for-2 showing in the 5-4 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium left his season average at .247 for a fourth straight year. Just how unique is this statistical oddity? He's the first qualified batter to have the same average in four consecutive seasons.
Moreover, when raising the minimum to 400 plate appearances, Davis is the only player to do it in three straight, let alone four.
"I don't know, I'm just kind of speechless," Davis said. It's just weird."
"You know what? That is just tough to comprehend," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Going into the last at-bat, I wasn't really sure if it would remain there, but it feels like if he had 10 more at-bats it would remain there the way his last couple years have gone. That's almost impossible to do. The power numbers have gone up, he's a better hitter even though the average looks the same. But I can't explain that. The baseball gods obviously want him to hit .247."
A beacon of consistency, Davis is also baseball's home run leader this year, totaling a career-high 48 to give him an MLB-best 133 since the start of 2016. He also racked up 123 RBIs, the second most in the Majors behind Boston's J.D. Martinez (130). Martinez finished second in homers with 43. 
Davis, who said he had 50 on his mind entering Sunday's showdown, can now turn his focus to the postseason -- his first.
"I was trying, and it never works out that way," Davis said. "It wasn't meant to be, but I like where I'm at, I like where this team's at, and we're just getting ready for the playoffs now."
Davis is the first Oakland player to be crowned baseball's home run king since Mark McGwire rung up 52 in 1996, prompting inclusion in the American League MVP Award conversation alongside A's third baseman Matt Chapman.