PROGRAMMING NOTE: NBC Sports California is looking back at the A's 50 Memorable Moments since the franchise relocated to Oakland in 1968. Below are the next two moments you can vote on. Tune into A's Pregame Live today at 4:30 p.m. to watch highlights of the two moments. After the A's and Astros conclude, tune into A's Postgame Live to see which moment will move on to the next round!
1. Scott Hatteberg's walk-off home run to extend A's winning streak to 20 in 2002 (Three-time winner -- Defeated Vida Blue's no-hitters in 1970 and 1975)
(From Ben Ross)
Every A's fan remembers where they were when Scott Hatteberg hit the biggest home run of his career. With Oakland and Kansas City tied at 11 in the bottom of the ninth, Hatteberg hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run, giving the A's their 20th straight win, a new American League record.
Incredibly, the Athletics had blown an 11-0 lead in the game. The Royals scored five runs in the fourth inning, five more in the eighth, and one in the ninth to tie the game at 11. But Hatteberg came to the rescue, sending the sellout crowd of more than 55,000 into a frenzy.
Hatteberg hit 15 home runs that season, and 106 in his career, but only this one ended up in Hollywood. Hatteberg was portrayed by Chris Pratt in the 2011 film "Moneyball."
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2. Catfish Hunter's Perfect Game against the Twins in 1968
(From Ben Ross)
On May 8, 1968, Jim "Catfish" Hunter made history, becoming the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game in the modern era. At the age of 22 years and 30 days, Hunter set down all 27 Minnesota Twins he faced, leading the A's to a 4-0 victory at the Coliseum.
Hunter recorded 11 strikeouts, including the final two batters of the game in Bruce Look and Rich Reese. He only got to a three-ball count twice in the game. Hunter also had a big night with his bat, driving in three of Oakland's four runs, and finishing the game 3-for-4 at the plate.
The perfect game was just the ninth in Major League Baseball history at the time, and the first in the American League since 1922. It was also the first perfect game in A's history. As of 2018, there have still only been 23 perfect games in MLB history.
VOTE HERE:
Which @Athletics 50th Anniversary moment was more memorable?
The winning moment will move on to the next matchup.— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 28, 2018
