A’s clinch division on Mariners’ turf
SEATTLE – After three days of waiting, the Oakland Athletics finally popped the champagne.
Nick Swisher and Milton Bradley each homered in a four-run second to back Rich Harden’s five shutout innings, helping the A’s clinch the A.L. West title Tuesday night with a 12-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The win, combined with the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-2 loss against Texas, gave Oakland its first division title since 2003 and the 14th in franchise history. The small-budget A’s are back in the playoffs after a two-year absence thanks to a sensational second half – a hallmark for this club in recent years.
Oakland could have wrapped up the championship at home last weekend, but it dropped two straight games to the Angels. Los Angeles then beat Texas on Monday night, while the A’s blew a 9-3 lead and lost to Seattle – keeping their magic number at two for the third day in a row.
But Oakland jumped out to a big lead Tuesday and celebrated after the final out by jumping up and down in the middle of the infield.
Next up, the A’s will try to advance to the A.L. Championship Series following four first-round exits from 2000-03.
Harden (4-0) was staked to an early 5-0 lead. Making just his second start since June because he was on the disabled list with an elbow injury, the right-hander showed he’s ready for the postseason, allowing only two singles and striking out five in a dominant performance.
Harden hit 97 mph on the stadium radar gun in the first inning and struck out three consecutive batters in the third and fourth. A’s manager Ken Macha wanted Harden limited to 75 pitches, and he finished the fifth inning, getting Willie Bloomquist to line out to center field on his 76th pitch.
Harden’s only jam came in the third, when Seattle loaded the bases with two outs. Harden went to a full count on A.L. player of the week Raul Ibanez and threw a 96 mph fastball that Ibanez waved at.
Meanwhile, Oakland’s tepid offense – next to last in the AL in batting average at .259 entering Tuesday – battered Seattle starter Jake Woods.
Frank Thomas, who has 38 homers after the A’s got him at a bargain with a one-year, $500,000 incentive-laden contract, lined an RBI single in the first to score Jason Kendall. Swisher led off the second by hitting 1-2 pitch from Woods into the A’s bullpen in left for his 34th homer.
Bradley capped the inning by jumping on Woods’ first pitch for a three-run homer to right. Bradley strutted and watched his 14th homer carry into the sparse crowd, then sprinted around the bases and briefly danced in the dugout.
Woods (6-4) lasted just four innings, giving up 11 hits and six runs. Jay Payton singled three times off Woods and scored after doubling to lead off the seventh as the A’s added four more runs.
Seattle’s lone offensive highlights came in the sixth on consecutive homers from Adrian Beltre and Ibanez off reliever Kirk Saarloos.
Ichiro sits
Mariners trainer Rick Griffin rushed onto the field Monday night after Ichiro Suzuki had been hit by a pickoff throw, then started laughing.
“I have two injuries now,” Suzuki told Griffin, wincing from the pain in his left shoulder. “I am human.”
Despite the pain, Suzuki’s shoulder didn’t hurt him. It was the bruised quad he suffered earlier in Monday’s game that was the biggest pain, and it cost him a start Tuesday.
For only the second time this season, Ichiro wasn’t in the starting lineup. Willie Bloomquist started in center instead.