The Oakland Athletics shut out the Yankees 1-0 at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, completing a series win that’ll have New York looking to turn the page quickly.
What makes this different is the history behind it.
The A’s hadn’t won 1-0 at the Stadium since July 14, 1972, according to MLB Network’s Sarah Langs. They hadn’t beaten the Yankees by that score anywhere since 1979.
That’s a 52-year drought at Yankee Stadium.
Jeffrey Springs was the story for Oakland, throwing seven innings of one-hit ball while striking out six. The Yankees managed just three walks beyond Ben Rice’s lone single.
Two A’s relievers finished the one-hitter with scoreless frames.
On the other side, Ryan Weathers took a tough-luck loss despite eight strong innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven. Sometimes the breaks don’t go your way.
Looking Back to 1972
That previous 1-0 A’s win at the Stadium featured Blue Moon Odom going 6.1 shutout innings before Darold Knowles closed it out over the final 2.2 frames.
Angel Mangual drove in Bert Campaneries for the game’s only RBI.
Ironically, the Yankees actually had nine hits that day, including a 4-for-4 performance from Celerino Sanchez and even a hit from pitcher Mike Kekich in the final season before the American League adopted the designated hitter.
The way I see it, Thursday’s version was far more dominant pitching than clutch hitting failing to come through.
It’s the kind of game that stings more because of the historical footnote. The Yankees will want to forget this one and focus on getting the bats going in their next series.
