| 1987 Oakland Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | |
| City | Oakland, California | |
| Record | 81–81 (.500) | |
| Divisional place | 3rd | |
| Owners | Walter A. Haas, Jr. | |
| General managers | Sandy Alderson | |
| Managers | Tony La Russa | |
| Television | KPIX (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ray Fosse) | |
| Radio | KSFO (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ted Robinson, Joe Fonzi) | |
| ||
The Oakland Athletics' 1987 season involved the A's finishing third in the American League West with a record of 81 wins and 81 losses. Mark McGwire set a rookie record by hitting 49 home runs.[1] At the beginning of the season, the word "Athletics" returned, in script lettering, to the front of the team's jerseys. Former A's owner, Charles O. Finley banned the word "Athletics" from the club's name in the past because he felt that name was too closely associated with former Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack. In his first full Major League season, Mark McGwire hit 49 home runs, a single-season record for a rookie; he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. McGwire would be the first American League rookie since Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians in 1950 to lead the American League in home runs.[2] The 1987 season also saw the return of Reggie Jackson to Oakland.