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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jason Giambi had three words for the New
York Yankees.
"Bring them on!" he exclaimed in the champagne-drenched
Oakland clubhouse after the Athletics clinched the AL West title
and a first-round playoff series against the two-time World Series
champions.
Tim Hudson earned his 20th victory, beating the Texas Rangers
3-0 Sunday in the regular-season finale.
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Sizzling down the stretch
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Tim Hudson was 7-0 with a 1.16 ERA over his last seven starts to close the regular season. Here's a rundown of those seven starts:
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Date
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Opp.
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IP
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H
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R
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8/28
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Chi.
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9
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1
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0
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9/3
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Tor.
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7.2
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8
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3
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9/9
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T.B.
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9
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2
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0
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9/16
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T.B.
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6.2
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6
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2
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9/21
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Sea.
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6
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5
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2
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9/26
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Ana.
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8
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5
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2
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10/1
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Tex.
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8
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4
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0
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It was scoreless until Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI double in the
seventh, and Randy Velarde and Olmedo Saenz each added solo home
runs in the eighth.
The A's, who will go to the playoffs for the first time since
1992, join Atlanta as the only teams with 11 division titles.
After the game, the A's spilled onto the field in celebration.
Matt Stairs and some of his teammates hoisted Giambi on their
shoulders and paraded him before the sellout crowd, which chanted
"MVP! MVP!"
Giambi batted .400 in September with 13 home runs and 32 RBI.
The last Oakland player with that many home runs in a month was
Mark McGwire in July, 1996.
|  | | Tim Hudson embraces teammate Jeremy Giambi after clinching the AL West title on Sunday. |
Although he was hitless Sunday, Giambi had 43 home runs and 137
RBI this season.
"I can't even describe this," Giambi said, soaked in champagne
after the game and dwarfed by a the swarm of reporters and
television cameras around him. "There are no words for this. I
mean, it's been incredible coming to the ballpark every day. My
brother (Jeremy) is playing with me. It's unbelievable"
With the victory, the Athletics avoided a trip to Tampa Bay for
a makeup game Monday and got extra time to prepare for the
playoffs. Oakland's game at Tampa Bay on Sept. 18 was postponed
because of Hurricane Gordon.
The Cleveland Indians beat Toronto 11-4 earlier in the day,
preventing the A's from clinching a playoff spot prior to their
game.
The A's started the day with a half-game lead over Seattle in
the AL West. The Mariners clinched the wild card with by beating
Anaheim 5-2.
There had been talk that manager Art Howe would hold Hudson
(20-6) if Cleveland lost, but the he decided Saturday night he
would start his ace no matter what.
"During the postseason, you want to have home-field advantage
as much as possible. That's why I wanted Hudson to pitch," Howe
said. "I wanted him to win here in front of the hometown fans, to
get his 20th."
Hudson gave up four hits and struck out 10 in eight scoreless
innings. He became Oakland's first 20-game winner since Dave
Stewart and Bob Welch each did it in 1990.
Hudson has won seven straight starts. His last loss was Aug. 23
at Cleveland.
Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless ninth, working around two
hits, for his 33rd save.
"I would have liked it to be 1-2-3, but I'll take it,"
Isringhausen said.
A day after the A's pounded the Rangers 23-2, the two teams were
scoreless through six innings.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Jeremy Giambi
doubled and the crowd started to buzz. Then Hernandez doubled off
Ryan Glynn (6-6).
Velarde hit his home run to deep center field, his 12th of the
season, in the eighth inning. An out later, pinch-hitter Saenz also
homered.
Glynn, who finishes the season with a four-game losing streak,
went seven innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He struck out
four and walked four.
Texas had threatened in the fifth when Mike Lamb hit a single up
the middle and Scott Shelton was hit in the shoulder with a pitch
thrown so hard it knocked him over.
Randy Knorr's sacrifice bunt advanced Lamb and Shelton, but
Scarborough Green's grounder was deftly handled by A's second
baseman Velarde and Lamb was thrown out at home. Royce Clayton
grounded out to end the inning.
"It's tough to play when one team is playing for all the
marbles, and the other is really going nowhere," Rangers manager
Johnny Oates said.
The A's take on the Yankees in Oakland on Tuesday. The Yankees
plan to start Roger Clemens against the A's Gil Heredia.
But for at least one night, the A's weren't thinking about the
future. They were savoring the moment.
"I don't really care who is coming here," Isringhausen said.
"I'm just happy to be in the playoffs."
Game
notes
The A's have three pitchers with 15 wins, three players
with 100 RBI and three players with 100 runs scored. ... At 71-91,
the Rangers finished with the most losses since 1988, when they
were 70-91. ... Texas is the fourth team in major league history to
win a division title in one season and finish last in the division
the next. ... Howe announced that his starters for the first round
of the playoffs would be Gil Heredia (15-11) and Kevin Appier
(15-11). ... The game was officially a sellout with 45,606 in
attendance.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Texas Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 11
Toronto 4
Detroit 12
Minnesota 11
Tampa Bay 3
Boston 2
Baltimore 7
NY Yankees 3
Kansas City 6
Chi. White Sox 2
Seattle 5
Anaheim 2
Oakland 3
Texas 0
Colorado 10
Atlanta 5
NY Mets 3
Montreal 2
St. Louis 6
Cincinnati 2
Florida 7
Philadelphia 5
Chicago Cubs 10
Pittsburgh 9
San Diego 4
Los Angeles 0
San Francisco 11
Arizona 4
Houston 6
Milwaukee 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jason Giambi remembers the lean times in Oakland.
wav: 119 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tim Hudson loves pitching big games.
wav: 120 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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