| 2000 Oakland Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League West Champions | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | Network Associates Coliseum | |
| City | Oakland, California | |
| Record | 91–70 (.565) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Stephen Schott & Kenneth Hofmann | |
| General managers | Billy Beane | |
| Managers | Art Howe | |
| Television | KICU-TV FSN Bay Area (Ray Fosse, Greg Papa) | |
| Radio | KABL (Bill King, Ken Korach, Ray Fosse) | |
| ||
The Oakland Athletics' 2000 season was the team's 33rd in Oakland, California. It was also the 100th season in franchise history. The team finished first in the American League West with a record of 91–70.
The A's, in winning the division, snapped an eight-year postseason drought. The division championship was also the first of the so-called "Moneyball" era. Over the next six seasons, the Athletics would reach the postseason a total of four additional times.
The season saw the debuts of eventual ace starters Barry Zito and Mark Mulder. These two pitchers, along with Tim Hudson (who had debuted one year prior), would comprise the top of Oakland's rotation (known popularly as the "Big Three") until the end of the 2004 season. Of the three, Hudson fared the best in 2000; he won twenty games (the most in the American League) and reached the All-Star Game in his first full season as a starter. For his efforts, Hudson finished second in that year's American League Cy Young Award voting.
The Athletics also boasted a strong offense. The team scored 947 runs (an Oakland record) over the course of the season; this figure was the third-highest in the American League. The offense was led by Jason Giambi, who won the American League MVP Award at the end of the season. The team collectively hit 239 home runs in 2000 (also an Oakland record); in total, nine different Athletics hit at least ten home runs.
The Athletics fought the Seattle Mariners in the standings for most of the season. In the end, the Athletics narrowly prevailed; they finished only half a game ahead of the 91–71 Mariners (who won the AL Wild Card). The Athletics then played the New York Yankees in the ALDS. They would lose the best-of-five series three games to two.