The Oakland A’s are looking to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive season and they just made an announcement that should increase attendance. This week, the A’s announced kids ages 12 and under can get into the ballpark for free for the month of September. Oakland has 12 more home games remaining this season and adults can get up to two tickets for kids 12 and younger with the purchase of a regularly priced ticket.
“We invite all families to bring their kids to the ballpark in September to experience the electric atmosphere of the Coliseum as we look to clinch our second consecutive Postseason berth,” said Oakland A’s COO Chris Giles said in a statement via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Twelve games for kids 12 and younger for free.”
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Right now the A’s are in second place in the AL West and they are nine games behind the Houston Astros who are the division leaders. It’s very unlikely the A’s will catch the Astros who won the World Series in 2017, but they are in the thick of the wild card race as they are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild-card spot in the playoffs.
And if the A’s make the playoffs, third baseman Matt Chapman will be a big reason why. He recently hit his 30th home run of the season and the homer was a historic one for the A’s with Chapman now being the third A’s third baseman in history to hit at least 30 home runs in a season.
“That’s pretty fast company to be in,” manager Bob Melvin said via MLB.com. “On top of that, what he brings defensively, his leadership qualities, this guy is going to be a star. You want to say this is a breakout year, but it’s not. He had a terrific year last year, too. He’s going to get better and better. Probably not going to be his last 30-home run year.”
The A’s recently celebrated their 30th anniversary of winning their last World Series. During the celebration, the team announced they are going to retire Dave Stewart’s No. 34 jersey. Stewart spent 16 seasons in Oakland and posted a 119-78 record. From 1987-1990, Stewart recorded at least 20 wins per season and he was named MVP of the 1989 World Series as he posted a 1.69 ERA.
