1987 Oakland Athletics season

1987  Oakland Athletics
League	American League
Division	West
Ballpark	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
City	Oakland, California
Record	81–81 (.500)
Divisional place	3rd
Owners	Walter A. Haas, Jr.
General managers	Sandy Alderson
Managers	Tony La Russa
Television	KPIX (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ray Fosse)
Radio	KSFO (Bill King, Lon Simmons, Ted Robinson, Joe Fonzi)
←  1986 Seasons 1988  →

The 1987 Oakland Athletics season was the 87th season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 20th season in Oakland. The Athletics finished third 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. ^[1] 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. McGwire would be the first American League rookie since Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians in 1950 to lead the American League in home runs. ^[2] The 1987 season also saw the return of Reggie Jackson to Oakland.

Offseason

• December 11, 1986: Donnie Hill was traded by the Athletics to the Chicago White Sox for Gene Nelson and Bruce Tanner. ^[3]
• January 20, 1987: Vida Blue was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. ^[4]
• January 22, 1987: Jim Eppard was purchased from the Athletics by the California Angels. ^[5]
• February 6, 1987: Johnnie LeMaster was signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. ^[6]
• February 23, 1987: Jeff Kaiser was traded by the Athletics to the Cleveland Indians for Curt Wardle. ^[7]

Regular season

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Minnesota Twins	85	77	.525	—	56‍–‍25	29‍–‍52
Kansas City Royals	83	79	.512	2	46‍–‍35	37‍–‍44
Oakland Athletics	81	81	.500	4	42‍–‍39	39‍–‍42
Seattle Mariners	78	84	.481	7	40‍–‍41	38‍–‍43
Chicago White Sox	77	85	.475	8	38‍–‍43	39‍–‍42
Texas Rangers	75	87	.463	10	43‍–‍38	32‍–‍49
California Angels	75	87	.463	10	38‍–‍43	37‍–‍44

Record vs. opponents

1987 American League record v t e Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	1–12	9–3	8–4	7–6	4–9	9–3	2–11	5–7	3–10	7–5	4–8	7–5	1–12
Boston	12–1	—	4–8	3–9	7–6	2–11	6–6	6–7	7–5	7–6	4–8	7–5	7–5	6–7
California	3–9	8–4	—	8–5	7–5	3–9	5–8	7–5	8–5	3–9	6–7	7–6	5–8	5–7
Chicago	4–8	9–3	5–8	—	7–5	3–9	6–7	6–6	6–7	5–7	9–4	6–7	7–6	4–8
Cleveland	6–7	6–7	5–7	5–7	—	4–9	6–6	4–9	3–9	6–7	4–8	5–7	2–10	5–8
Detroit	9–4	11–2	9–3	9–3	9–4	—	5–7	6–7	8–4	5–8	5–7	7–5	8–4	7–6
Kansas City	3–9	6–6	8–5	7–6	6–6	7–5	—	4–8	8–5	5–7	5–8	9–4	7–6	8–4
Milwaukee	11–2	7–6	5–7	6–6	9–4	7–6	8–4	—	3–9	7–6	6–6	4–8	9–3	9–4
Minnesota	7–5	5–7	5–8	7–6	9–3	4–8	5–8	9–3	—	6–6	10–3	9–4	6–7	3–9
New York	10–3	6–7	9–3	7–5	7–6	8–5	7–5	6–7	6–6	—	5–7	7–5	5–7	6–7
Oakland	5–7	8–4	7–6	4–9	8–4	7–5	8–5	6–6	3–10	7–5	—	5–8	6–7	7–5
Seattle	8–4	5–7	6–7	7–6	7–5	5–7	4–9	8–4	4–9	5–7	8–5	—	9–4	2–10
Texas	5–7	5–7	8–5	6–7	10–2	4–8	6–7	3–9	7–6	7–5	7–6	4–9	—	3–9
Toronto	12–1	7–6	7–5	8–4	8–5	6–7	4–8	4–9	9–3	7–6	5–7	10–2	9–3	—

Opening Day starters

• Jose Canseco
• Mike Davis
• Alfredo Griffin
• Reggie Jackson
• Carney Lansford
• Rob Nelson
• Dwayne Murphy
• Tony Phillips
• Curt Young
• Mickey Tettleton ^[8]

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. ^[9]
• April 27, 1987: Dennis Lamp was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. ^[10]
• April 30, 1987: Bill Caudill was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. ^[11]
• May 12, 1987: Brian Harper was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. ^[12]
• June 29, 1987: Bill Mooneyham was traded by the Athletics to the Milwaukee Brewers for Russ McGinnis. ^[13]
• July 29, 1987: Johnnie LeMaster was released by the Oakland Athletics. ^[6]
• August 29, 1987: Tim Belcher was traded by the Athletics to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rick Honeycutt. ^[14]
• 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. ^[15]
• August 31, 1987: Gary Lavelle was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. ^[16]

Draft picks

• June 2, 1987: Ron Coomer was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 14th round of the 1987 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1987. ^[17]
• June 2, 1987: Scott Brosius was drafted by the Athletics in the 20th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft. Player signed June 9, 1987. ^[18]

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

1987 Oakland Athletics
Roster
Pitchers 47 Joaquín Andújar 32 Greg Cadaret 37 Bill Caudill 23 Chris Codiroli 41 Storm Davis 43 Dennis Eckersley 30 Moose Haas 40 Rick Honeycutt 30 Jay Howell 32 Bill Krueger 49 Dennis Lamp 46 Gary Lavelle 52 Dave Leiper 19,40 Gene Nelson 53 Steve Ontiveros 38 Dave Otto 51 Eric Plunk 27,38 José Rijo 12,27 Rick Rodriguez 34 Dave Stewart 57 Dave Von Ohlen 29 Curt Young		Catchers 11 Matt Sinatro 36 Terry Steinbach  6 Mickey Tettleton Infielders 14 Tony Bernazard 11 Ron Cey  9 Mike Gallego  3 Alfredo Griffin  4 Carney Lansford 13 Johnnie LeMaster 25 Mark McGwire 14,49 Rob Nelson  2 Tony Phillips 17 Walt Weiss  7 Jerry Willard		Outfielders 33 José Canseco 16 Mike Davis 31 Brian Harper 24 Steve Henderson 44 Reggie Jackson 28 Stan Javier 21 Dwayne Murphy 22 Luis Polonia 24 Alejandro Sánchez		Manager 10 Tony La Russa Coaches 18 Dave Duncan (Pitching) 15 Rene Lachemann (First base)  5 Jim Lefebvre (Third base) 46 Joe Rudi (Hitting) 39 Dave McKay (Bullpen) 45 Mike Paul (Bullpen) 55 Bob Watson (Bench)

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
C	Terry Steinbach	122	391	66	111	.284	16	56	1
1B	Mark McGwire	151	557	97	161	.289	49	118	1
2B	Tony Phillips	111	379	48	91	.240	10	46	7
3B	Carney Lansford	151	554	89	160	.289	19	76	27
SS	Alfredo Griffin	144	494	69	130	.263	3	60	26
LF	José Canseco	159	630	81	162	.257	31	113	15
CF	Dwayne Murphy	82	219	39	51	.233	8	35	4
RF	Mike Davis	139	494	69	131	.265	22	72	19
DH	Reggie Jackson	115	336	42	74	.220	15	43	2

^[19]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
Luis Polonia	125	435	78	125	.287	4	49	29
Tony Bernazard	61	214	34	57	.266	3	19	4
Mickey Tettleton	82	211	19	41	.194	8	26	1
Stan Javier	81	151	22	28	.185	2	9	3
Mike Gallego	72	124	18	31	.250	2	14	0
Steve Henderson	46	114	14	33	.289	3	9	0
Ron Cey	45	104	12	23	.221	4	11	0
Walt Weiss	16	26	3	12	.462	0	1	1
Johnnie LeMaster	20	24	3	2	.083	0	1	0
Rob Nelson	7	24	1	4	.167	0	0	0
Brian Harper	11	17	1	4	.235	0	3	0
Jerry Willard	7	6	1	1	.167	0	0	0
Alejandro Sánchez	2	3	0	0	.000	0	0	0
Matt Sinatro	6	3	0	0	.000	0	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L= Losses; ERA = Earned run average; CG = Complete games; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	CG	SO
Dave Stewart	37	261.1	20	13	3.68	8	205
Curt Young	31	203.0	13	7	4.08	6	124
José Rijo	21	82.1	2	7	5.90	1	67
Joaquín Andújar	13	60.2	3	5	6.08	1	32
Moose Haas	9	40.2	2	2	5.75	0	13
Storm Davis	5	30.1	1	1	3.26	0	28
Chris Codiroli	3	11.1	0	2	8.74	0	4

^[19]

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Steve Ontiveros	35	150.2	10	8	4.00	97
Eric Plunk	32	95.0	4	6	4.74	90
Rick Honeycutt	7	23.2	1	4	5.32	10

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Dennis Eckersley	54	115.2	6	8	16	3.03	113
Gene Nelson	54	123.2	6	5	3	3.93	94
Dave Leiper	45	52.1	2	1	1	3.78	33
Jay Howell	36	44.1	3	4	16	5.89	35
Dennis Lamp	36	56.2	1	3	0	5.08	36
Greg Cadaret	29	39.2	6	2	0	4.54	30
Rick Rodriguez	15	24.1	1	0	0	2.96	9
Bill Caudill	6	8.0	0	0	1	9.00	8
Dave Otto	3	6.0	0	0	0	9.00	3
Dave Von Ohlen	4	6.0	0	0	0	7.50	3
Bill Krueger	9	5.2	0	3	0	9.53	2
Gary Lavelle	6	4.1	0	0	0	8.31	6

Awards and records

• Mark McGwire, American League Rookie of the Year
• Mark McGwire, Rookie Record, Most Home Runs in One Season (49)

All-Star Game

• Jay Howell, P, Reserve
• Mark McGwire, 1B, Reserve

McGwire's rookie record 49 home runs

Home Run	Game	Date	Inning	Location	Opposing Pitcher	Team
1	4	04-10-1987	7th	Oakland	Donnie Moore [20]	Angels
2	15	04-21-1987	4th	Oakland	Urbano Lugo [21]	Angels
3	18	04-25-1987	3rd	Oakland	Scott Bankhead [22]	Mariners
4	22	04-29-1987	2nd	Oakland	Ted Higuera [23]	Brewers
5	24	05-01-1987	3rd	Oakland	Walt Terrell [24]	Tigers
6	29	05-08-1987	4th	Detroit	Frank Tanana [25]	Tigers
7	29	05-08-1987	8th	Detroit	Frank Tanana [25]	Tigers
8	30	05-09-1987	6th	Detroit	Eric King [26]	Tigers
9	31	05-10-1987	2nd	Detroit	Jack Morris [27]	Tigers
10	31	05-10-1987	4th	Detroit	Jack Morris [27]	Tigers
11	35	05-16-1987	1st	Oakland	Jimmy Key [28]	Blue Jays
12	37	05-18-1987	7th	Oakland	Tim Stoddard [29]	Yankees
13	38	05-19-1987	3rd	Oakland	Dennis Rasmussen [30]	Yankees
14	39	05-20-1987	2nd	Oakland	Charles Hudson [31]	Yankees
15	41	05-23-1987	2nd	Oakland	Mike Boddicker [32]	Orioles
16	42	05-24-1987	2nd	Oakland	Jeff Ballard [33]	Orioles
17	44	05-27-1987	4th	Toronto	Joe Johnson [34]	Blue Jays
18	48	05-31-1987	2nd	New York	Tommy John [35]	Yankees
19	48	05-31-1987	7th	New York	Tommy John [35]	Yankees
20	59	06-13-1987	4th	Arlington Stadium	Ed Correa [36]	Rangers
21	61	06-15-1987	4th	Kansas City	Charlie Leibrandt [37]	Royals
22	66	06-21-1987	8th	Oakland	Jose Guzman [38]	Rangers
23	72	06-27-1987	1st	Cleveland	Ken Schrom [39]	Indians
24	72	06-27-1987	5th	Cleveland	Ed Vande Berg [39]	Indians
25	72	06-27-1987	9th	Cleveland	Scott Bailes [39]	Indians
26	73	06-28-1987	4th	Cleveland	Tom Candiotti [40]	Indians
27	73	06-28-1987	7th	Cleveland	Tom Candiotti [40]	Indians
28	75	06-30-1987	1st	Chicago	Scott Nielsen [41]	White Sox
29	79	07-04-1987	5th	Boston	Bruce Hurst [42]	Red Sox
30	80	07-05-1987	4th	Boston	Oil Can Boyd [43]	Red Sox
31	83	07-08-1987	6th	Oakland	Jeff Robinson [44]	Tigers
32	86	07-11-1987	2nd	Oakland	Bill Wegman [45]	Brewers
33	86	07-11-1987	8th	Oakland	Dan Plesac [45]	Brewers
34	89	07-17-1987	10th	Boston	Calvin Schiraldi [46]	Red Sox
35	93	07-21-1987	10th	Detroit	Eric King [47]	Tigers
36	94	07-22-1987	8th	Detroit	Mark Thurmond [48]	Tigers
37	101	07-29-1987	4th	Oakland	Don Sutton [49]	Angels
38	113	08-11-1987	7th	Seattle	Mike Moore [50]	Mariners
39	115	08-14-1987	6th	Anaheim	Don Sutton [51]	Angels
40	129	08-29-1987	10th	Toronto	Mark Eichhorn [52]	Blue Jays
41	134	09-04-1987	5th	Baltimore	Mike Boddicker [53]	Orioles
42	136	09-05-1987	2nd	Baltimore	Jon Habyan [54]	Orioles
43	142	09-12-1987	2nd	Oakland	Charlie Leibrandt [55]	Royals
44	145	09-15-1987	4th	Arlington Stadium	Greg Harris [56]	Rangers
45	145	09-15-1987	6th	Arlington Stadium	Greg Harris [56]	Rangers
46	148	09-19-1987	1st	Kansas City	Mélido Pérez [57]	Royals
47	153	09-24-1987	9th	Oakland	Scott Bannister [58]	White Sox
48	154	09-25-1987	9th	Oakland	Bobby Thigpen [59]	White Sox
49	157	09-29-1987	1st	Oakland	John Farrell [60]	Indians

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Tacoma Tigers	Pacific Coast League	Keith Lieppman
AA	Huntsville Stars	Southern League	Brad Fischer
A	Modesto A's	California League	Tommie Reynolds
A	Madison Muskies	Midwest League	Jim Nettles
A-Short Season	Medford A's	Northwest League	Dave Hudgens

References

1. Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.344, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN   978-0-451-22363-0
2. Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.346, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN   978-0-451-22363-0
3. Donnie Hill page at Baseball Reference
4. Vida Blue page at Baseball Reference
5. Jim Eppard page at Baseball Reference
6. "Johnnie LeMaster Stats".
7. Jeff Kaiser page at Baseball Reference
8. "1987 Oakland Athletics Roster by Baseball Almanac".
9. Dennis Eckersley page at Baseball Reference
10. Dennis Lamp page at Baseball Reference
11. Bill Caudill page at Baseball Reference
12. Brian Harper page at Baseball Reference
13. Bill Mooneyham page at Baseball Reference
14. Tim Belcher page at Baseball Reference
15. Rob Nelson page at Baseball Reference
16. Gary Lavelle page at Baseball Reference
17. "Ron Coomer Stats".
18. Scott Brosius page at Baseball Reference
19. "1987 Oakland Athletics Statistics".
20. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, April 10, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
21. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, April 21, 1987 at Anaheim Stadium".
22. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, April 25, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
23. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, April 29, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
24. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, May 1, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
25. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, May 8, 1987 at Tiger Stadium".
26. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, May 9, 1987 at Tiger Stadium".
27. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, May 10, 1987 at Tiger Stadium".
28. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, May 16, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
29. "Box Score of Game played on Monday, May 18, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
30. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, May 19, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
31. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, May 20, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
32. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, May 23, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
33. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, May 24, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
34. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, May 27, 1987 at Exhibition Stadium".
35. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, May 31, 1987 at Yankee Stadium".
36. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, June 13, 1987 at Arlington Stadium".
37. "Box Score of Game played on Monday, June 15, 1987 at Royals Stadium".
38. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, June 21, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
39. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, June 27, 1987 at Cleveland Stadium".
40. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, June 28, 1987 at Cleveland Stadium".
41. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, June 30, 1987 at Comiskey Park I".
42. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, July 4, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
43. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, July 5, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
44. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, July 8, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
45. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, July 11, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
46. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, July 17, 1987 at Fenway Park".
47. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, July 21, 1987 at Tiger Stadium".
48. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, July 22, 1987 at Tiger Stadium".
49. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, July 29, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
50. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, August 11, 1987 at Kingdome".
51. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, August 14, 1987 at Anaheim Stadium".
52. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, August 29, 1987 at Exhibition Stadium".
53. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, September 4, 1987 at Memorial Stadium".
54. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, September 6, 1987 at Memorial Stadium".
55. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, September 12, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
56. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, September 15, 1987 at Arlington Stadium".
57. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, September 19, 1987 at Royals Stadium".
58. "Box Score of Game played on Thursday, September 24, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
59. "Box Score of Game played on Friday, September 25, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".
60. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, September 29, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum".

• 1987 Oakland Athletics team page at Baseball Reference
• 1987 Oakland Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN   978-0-9637189-8-3.