1987 Oakland Athletics season

MLB yearly infobox
name = Oakland Athletics
season = 1987
misc =

current league = American League
y1 = 1901
division = Western Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform
ballpark = Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
y4 = 1968
city = Oakland, California
y5 = 1968
owners = Walter A. Haas, Jr.
managers = Tony LaRussa
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 3rd 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. [Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.344, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0] 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.

Offseason

*December 11, 1986: Donnie Hill was traded by the Athletics to the Chicago White Sox for Gene Nelson and Bruce Tanner. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hilldo01.shtml Donnie Hill page at Baseball Reference] ]
*January 20, 1987: Vida Blue was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bluevi01.shtml Vida Blue page at Baseball Reference] ]
*January 22, 1987: Jim Eppard was purchased from the Athletics by the California Angels. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/epparji01.shtml Jim Eppard page at Baseball Reference] ]
*February 23, 1987: Jeff Kaiser was traded by the Athletics to the Cleveland Indians for Curt Wardle. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kaiseje01.shtml Jeff Kaiser page at Baseball Reference] ]

Regular season

eason standings

Opening Day starters

*Jose Canseco
*Mike Davis
*Alfredo Griffin
*Reggie Jackson
*Carney Lansford
*Mark McGwire
*Dwayne Murphy
*Tony Phillips
*Dave Stewart
*Mickey Tettleton [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1987&t=OAK]

Notable transactions

*April 3, 1987: Brian Guinn (minors), Dave Wilder (minors), and Mark Leonette (minors) were traded by the Athletics to the Chicago Cubs for Dennis Eckersley and Dan Rohn. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/eckerde01.shtml Dennis Eckersley page at Baseball Reference] ]
*April 27, 1987: Dennis Lamp was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lampde01.shtml Dennis Lamp page at Baseball Reference] ]
*April 30, 1987: Bill Caudill was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/caudibi01.shtml Bill Caudill page at Baseball Reference] ]
*May 12, 1987: Brian Harper was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/harpebr01.shtml Brian Harper page at Baseball Reference] ]
*June 2, 1987: Scott Brosius was drafted by the Athletics in the 20th round of the 1987 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1987. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brosisc01.shtml Scott Brosius page at Baseball Reference] ]
*June 29, 1987: Bill Mooneyham was traded by the Athletics to the Milwaukee Brewers for Russ McGinnis. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/moonebi01.shtml Bill Mooneyham page at Baseball Reference] ]
*August 29, 1987: Tim Belcher was traded by the Athletics to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rick Honeycutt. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/belchti01.shtml Tim Belcher page at Baseball Reference] ]
*August 30, 1987: The Athletics traded players to be named later to the San Diego Padres for Storm Davis. The Athletics completed the deal by sending Dave Leiper to the Padres on August 31 and Rob Nelson to the Padres on September 8. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nelsoro03.shtml Rob Nelson page at Baseball Reference] ]
*August 31, 1987: Gary Lavelle was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lavelga01.shtml Gary Lavelle page at Baseball Reference] ]

All-Star Game

The 1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 58th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 1987 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California, the home of the Oakland Athletics of the American League. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 2-0 in 13 innings. Montreal Expos outfielder Tim Raines was named the Most Valuable Player.

Roster

[http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/1987.shtml]

Other batters

Relief pitchers

Awards and records

* Mark McGwire, American League Rookie of the Year
* Mark McGwire, Rookie Record, Most Home Runs in One Season (49)1987 MLB All-Star Game
* Mark McGwire, First Base

McGwire’s Rookie Record 49

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/1987.shtml 1987 Oakland Athletics team page at Baseball Reference]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1987&t=OAK 1987 Oakland Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com]