Then, they crawled back from a two-game deficit in the ALDS to tie the series at two and force a Game 5 after a big ninth-inning comeback Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for the Athletics, their magical ride came to a screeching halt Thursday, as they were beaten by Justin Verlander and the Tigers. Still, let us remember the season that was.
What went right
So much went right for the A's this season, and the fans should remember it as a special run, even if it ended after just three playoff games. Anyway, here goes ...
The Yoenis Cespedes signing was outstanding, as was the Andrew Bailey trade, as was the Trevor Cahill trade, as was the Gio Gonzalez trade -- even though Gonzalez may win the NL Cy Young, the A's got back Derek Norris, Tommy Milone and pitching prospect Brad Peacock.
The A's also discovered that Chris Carter and Brandon Moss make an excellent tandem at first base, that Grant Balfour can be a good closer and that several young pitchers are ready to perform well at the highest level.
And there was much more. What an outstanding season for a team many expected to be among MLB's worst in 2012.
What went wrong
Bartolo Colon was suspended for PED use, Brandon McCarthy had a few injuries, including being struck in the head by a line drive and a few moves didn't pan out -- mostly guys playing early in the season, before everything clicked. But the negatives were the exception rather than the rule for most of the season. In the playoffs, the A's ran into a very talented Tigers team that simply matched up very well with the A's. That is, the Tigers' weakness is defense and the A's don't put it in play much (they set an AL record in the regular season for hitter strikeouts in one season).
MVP: General manager Billy Beane put together this motley crew that came together almost like the Indians did in "Major League." What appeared a total rebuild ended up being an AL West champion, so the GM easily takes home the MVP.
LVP: I'm not naming one. It was too special a season. OK, how about this? Anyone who doesn't love the Balfour Rage entrance to Metallica's "One."
Free agents to be: 3B Brandon Inge, SP Brandon McCarthy, SP Bartolo Colon, DH Jonny Gomes, RP Grant Balfour ($4.5 million club option), SS Stephen Drew ($10 million mutual option)
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Gameplan heading into the offseason
I actually think they'll let the free agent staters (Colon and McCarthy) walk and move forward with a rotation of Brett Anderson, Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker, A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily.
It's doubtful the A's pick up that lofty option to retain Drew, but they could still sign him for less once he's a free agent. I do think that Balfour's option gets picked up.
As for the rest, it's hard to tell with Beane. He will certainly do some tweaking, but most of the roster that put together the magical season should return intact. The entire nucleus is under team control, several for three or more years. So it's possible this season was just the start of another extended run toward the top of the very strong AL West.
Ridiculously premature prediction for 2013
Some way or another, they'll get approval for their new stadium in San Jose. As for the team itself, there's no telling. We can't even begin to predict what Beane will do with the roster or if these guys are truly capable of a repeat. They are definitely one of the most intriguing storylines heading into next spring and there's no way I'll be counting them out in preseason predictions, no matter what happens this winter.
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