1980 Oakland Athletics season
Encyclopedia
The 1980 Oakland Athletics
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the A's finishing second in the American League West
with a record of 83 wins and 79 losses.
to manage the young team. The club was led by new young stars Rickey Henderson
, Mike Norris, Tony Armas
, and Dwayne Murphy
. The starting pitching staff was also notable in that they completed 94 starts, virtually unheard of in the era of the relief pitcher. Rick Langford
finished 28 of his 33 starts, totalling nearly 300 innings, and tallying a 19-12 record. Norris went 22-9 with a 2.53 ERA, completed 24 starts, and was runner-up to Steve Stone in the Cy Young Award
balloting that year. Martin made believers of his young charges as “Billyball” (characterized as featuring aggressive base running) was used to market the team, and the Athletics finished second in 1980.
Rickey Henderson broke Ty Cobb
's American League
record for most stolen base
s in one season (96) by recording 100 stolen bases.
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
season was a season in American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It involved the A's finishing second in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
with a record of 83 wins and 79 losses.
Offseason
- March 21, 1980: Jim ToddJim Todd (baseball)James Richard Todd, Jr. is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball from until .Todd was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched in their organization through his major league debut...
was released by the Athletics. - March 21, 1980: Joe WallisJoe WallisHarold Joseph Wallis is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors from until .On September 24, 1975, while playing for the Chicago Cubs, Wallis broke up Tom Seaver's bid for a no-hitter with two outs in the 9th inning of a game against the New...
was released by the Athletics.
Regular season
In 1980, Charlie O. Finley hired Billy MartinBilly Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
to manage the young team. The club was led by new young stars Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...
, Mike Norris, Tony Armas
Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was one of the top sluggers in the American League in the early 1980s. Twice Armas led the league in home runs, and led all of Major League Baseball in RBIs in...
, and Dwayne Murphy
Dwayne Murphy
Dwayne Keith Murphy is a former Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics as an outfielder. He is currently the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1973 and made his Major League debut in 1978...
. The starting pitching staff was also notable in that they completed 94 starts, virtually unheard of in the era of the relief pitcher. Rick Langford
Rick Langford
James Rick Langford , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1976-1986...
finished 28 of his 33 starts, totalling nearly 300 innings, and tallying a 19-12 record. Norris went 22-9 with a 2.53 ERA, completed 24 starts, and was runner-up to Steve Stone in the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
balloting that year. Martin made believers of his young charges as “Billyball” (characterized as featuring aggressive base running) was used to market the team, and the Athletics finished second in 1980.
Rickey Henderson broke Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
's American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
record for most stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s in one season (96) by recording 100 stolen bases.
Notable transactions
- April 10, 1980: Randy ElliottRandy ElliottRandy Lee Elliott is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in the majors, spread out over nine years. After being drafted by the San Diego Padres during their inaugural season, he played for them in and . He later played for the San Francisco Giants in and...
was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.
Draft picks
- June 3, 1980: Rich BordiRich BordiRichard Albert Bordi is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from -. He played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Bordi threw and batted right-handed, was 6'7" tall, and weighed 220 pounds. He attended Fresno State...
was drafted by the Athletics in the 3rd round of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft1980 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.- Compensation Picks :*William Erickson, was drafted in the second round by the San Francisco Giants, 31st pick overall. *Jeff Horne was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates,...
.
Roster
| 1980 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 87 | 285 | 66 | .232 | 5 | 29 | |
| LF | 158 | 591 | 179 | .303 | 9 | 53 | |
| CF | 159 | 573 | 157 | .274 | 13 | 68 | |
| RF | 158 | 628 | 175 | .279 | 35 | 109 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | 438 | 102 | .233 | 15 | 56 | |
| 123 | 295 | 72 | .244 | 1 | 29 | |
| 25 | 70 | 17 | .243 | 0 | 1 | |
| 46 | 59 | 14 | .237 | 0 | 3 | |
| 14 | 39 | 5 | .128 | 0 | 1 | |
Starting 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 290 | 19 | 12 | 3.26 | 102 | |
| 33 | 284.1 | 22 | 9 | 2.53 | 180 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7.88 | 5 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2.84 | 34 | |
| 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.38 | 12 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.94 | 9 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.90 | 5 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 0 |
League records
- Rickey Henderson, American League record (since broken), Most stolen bases in one season (100)