Athletics to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of 20-Game Winning Streak
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the club’s record-breaking 20-game winning streak Aug. 17-19 vs. the Cleveland Indians.
The weekend celebration will feature appearances by players from the 2002 team, including first baseman and 20-game winning streak hero Scott Hatteberg, pitchers Micah Bowie, Chad Bradford, Jim Mecir and Jeff Tam, outfielders Jermaine Dye and Terrence Long, manager Art Howe, bench coach Ken Macha, first base coach Mike Quade and hitting coach Thad Bosley, among others.
On Friday, Aug. 17, members of the ‘02 team will sign autographs for fans in the Westside Club, with proceeds benefitting the Cory Lidle Foundation. Autograph tickets are $20 per session (three sessions scheduled, three to four players per session). Tickets for all sessions will go on sale outside the Westside doors, near Section 216, at 5:35 p.m. Autograph sessions will begin at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.
The celebration continues Saturday, Aug. 18 with a special pre-game, on-field reunion honoring the members of the 2002 team. Fifteen thousand fans in attendance will receive a Hatteberg bobblehead with a sound chip of Bill King’s radio calls from the 20th victory, courtesy of Pepsi, and Hatteberg will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game (set for 5:55 p.m.). Following the game, fans who purchase a special ticket online at www.oaklandathletics.com/movie are invited to come down to the field for a viewing of the Academy Award nominated film Moneyball, presented by AdvanTel Networks. In addition, a limited number of fans who made a donation to the Cory Lidle Foundation will take part in a special meet-and-greet with members of ‘02 team before the game.
Finally, on Sunday, Aug. 19, 10,000 fans will receive an A’s 20-game winning streak t-shirt, courtesy of Cache Creek Casino Resort.
The Streak began with little fanfare on Aug. 13, 2002 with a 5-4 victory over Toronto at the Coliseum, yet it was the start of baseball history. On Sept. 2 at the Coliseum, the A’s extended their winning streak to 19 games and tied the American League record, with a 7-6 victory in the bottom of the ninth inning for a second consecutive day, with Miguel Tejada delivering the walk-off heroics for the second straight game. Then, on Sept. 4, as depicted in Moneyball, the A’s jumped to an 11-0 lead against Kansas City after three innings, however the Royals stormed back and eventually tied the game in the ninth. Then, in dramatic fashion, Hatteberg pinch hit to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning and secured Win No. 20 by homering off Jason Grimsley to give Oakland a 12-11 victory. The A’s 20 straight victories set the AL record for consecutive wins, was the third longest winning streak in the Major Leagues since 1900 and the longest in 67 years.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.oaklandathletics.com/streakweekend.