OAKLAND
http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-blake-snell-jersey , Calif. — Oakland Athletics fans will get to see Shohei Ohtani one last time in
2018 at the same venue at which everyone saw him for the first time this season
when the Los Angeles Angels close out a three-game series on Thursday
afternoon.While Ohtani and the Angels look to win the season series from
Oakland, the A’s (91-61) will be trying to avoid losing ground to the red-hot
Tampa Bay Rays (85-66) in a suddenly tight race for the second wild-card playoff
spot in the American League.The A’s will take the field for the afternoon affair
several hours before the Rays begin a four-game road series at Toronto. Tampa
Bay has won four in a row, including Saturday and Sunday against the A’s to get
the Rays back in the race.Article continues below ...While A’s fans surely will
save most of their applause for the home club, no doubt they will shower some on
Ohtani, the unique two-way talent whose first major league hit came on March 29
in Oakland, a single in his first at-bat against Kendall Graveman.Three days
later, Ohtani recorded his first big-league pitching win, also in
Oakland
Rob Refsnyder Jersey , when he limited the A’s to three runs in six innings in a 7-4 win.Almost six months later, Ohtani is finishing his rookie
season only as a hitter, having torn the UCL in his right elbow while pitching
on Sept. 2.He completed the pitching portion of his season with a 4-2 record and
3.31 ERA.The injury hasn’t slowed Ohtani’s bat. He has recorded hits in 11 of 14
games this month, including one in each of the first two games of the Oakland
series.He will take a .292 average, and a chance to hit .300, into the Angels’
final 10 games of the season.With 327 plate appearances and 10 pitching starts,
he is assured of being the first major-leaguer with that combination since Babe
Ruth in 1919.Ohtani has hit 6-for-23 (.261) against the A’s this season but went
0-for-3 against Thursday’s starter, right-hander Edwin Jackson
http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-miller-jersey , in an August game.Jackson (5-3, 3.17) will be attempting to pitch the A’s to
their 14th consecutive non-losing home series. Oakland has won 11 and tied two
since getting swept in a three-gamer against Houston in June.The A’s and Angels
have split the first two games of their three-game set.Jackson shut out the
Angels for 7 1/3 innings in a 7-0 win in Los Angeles in August. It improved his
lifetime record against the Angels to 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 13 games, including
10 starts.Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (2-1, 3.98) is scheduled to pitch the
series finale for the Angels.He pitched an 8-3 win over the A’s in the opening
series of the season, during which the Angels took three of four. Los Angeles
has retained an edge in the seasons series all year, but now clings to just an
8-7 advantage.In his career, Shoemaker has compiled a 6-2 record and 3.61 ERA in
13 games (12 starts) against Oakland. Harry How/Getty ImagesThe Boston Red Sox
capped off a brilliant 2018 season on Sunday night with a 5-1 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers to claim the ninth World Series title in franchise
history.The Red Sox wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in Game 5, as Steve
Pearce took Clayton Kershaw deep for a two-run home run in the top of the
first.David Freese trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with a leadoff home run for the
Dodgers
Joey Wendle Jersey , but that was all the offense they could muster as David Price allowed just two more hits over seven innings to pick up his second
victory of the series.Solo home runs from Mookie Betts in the sixth, J.D.
Martinez in the seventh and another shot from Pearce in the eighth extended the
lead to 5-1. Joe Kelly and Chris Sale slammed the door by striking out the side
in the eighth and ninth, respectively.It's the fourth World Series title since
2004 for the Red Sox, who won an MLB-best 108 games during the regular season
before posting an 11-3 record in October.Here was the scene on the field after
Sale struck out Manny Machado for the final out:Boston Red Sox RedSox#DAMAGEDONE
X9cLgcylEvSale wasn't his usual dominant self during the postseason as he
battled a stomach issue, but the adrenaline was clearly pumping in the ninth,
and his slider was absolutely filthy.The World SeriesMVP honors went to Pearce,
who went 4-for-12 with a double, three home runs and eight RBI in five
games.Boston Red Sox RedSoxM-V-Pearce! M-V-Pearce! M-V-Pearce! 0sNvVrCdbT"You
know
http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-christian-arroyo-jersey , baseball is a funny game," Pearce told reporters. "You never know where the game
will take you. And I've gone through a lot in my life or in my career to be
here, and I couldn't be more thankful."The 35-year-old was acquired from the
Toronto Blue Jays on June 28, and he posted an excellent 141 OPS+ with seven
home runs and 26 RBI in 50 games with the team.A number of players from the
Boston Celtics took to Twitter to congratulate the newly minted champs:Jaylen
Brown FCHWPOLETS GOOOO RedSox!!!!!! ????????????#DoDamageMarcus Morris
MookMorris2Congrats on the World Series RedSox well deserved!!! Amazing
Run!Jayson Tatum jaytatum0mookiebetts my guy!! Congrats bro???Al Horford
Al_HorfordChamps!!!!!!!! Congrats RedSox dominated all year and did it in
postseason as well. All about the team!!!It was a night to remember for Red Sox
fans, and here are some enduring images from the night with the presentation of
the Commissioner's Trophy:Boston Red Sox RedSoxRAISE IT. SfSdQngB0JAnd of
course, the obligatory champagne celebration in the winning locker room:Boston
Red Sox RedSoxAnd now we... POP BOTTLES!!! ??#DAMAGEDONE B67motpiXgKey pieces
such as Craig Kimbrel, Nathan Eovaldi andPearce will reach free agency this
offseason, so the Red Sox have some work to do from a roster
standpoint
http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-nathan-eovaldi-jersey , but this team is well-positioned to make a serious push to defend their
title.For now, the celebration continues.
