The Team Without a Home Still Rules Two Cities: Nomad Athletics’ Unlikely Feat

The A's have a history of winning the big one

May 31, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; The Oakland Athletics unveiled a new banner honoring the 1972, 1973 and 1974 World Series Championship teams prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Athletics are planning to head to Las Vegas for the 2028 season, which will mark their fourth official city in the team's 124-year history. While most like to point and laugh at how the A's have operated for much of their history, including their nomadic ways, there is no denying that the club has been one of baseball's best teams from the beginning.

The A's played in Philadelphia from 1901-1954, and remain the more decorated club in Philadelphia, despite the Phillies having an extra 71 seasons to collect some titles. The A's were very briefly the best dynasty in baseball, taking home World Series wins in 1910, 1911 and 1913.

The Boston Red Sox quickly overtook the A's, winning their first title as the Boston Americans in the first World Series in 1903, then adding on in 1912, 1915 and 1916.

After the A's lost the World Series in 1914, they had to make some trades, essentially dismantling the club, but they'd be back for two more titles in 1929 and 1930, then lost the Series in 1931 to the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of the previous season.

The A's Still Rule Philadelphia

Oct 29, 2008; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Members of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate on the infield after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in game five of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park to win the series, four games to one. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

By the time the A's left Philadelphia, the Phillies had participated in two World Series, losing them both. It would take until 1980 for the Phillies to win their first title in franchise history. By that point, the A's were in Oakland and had won three more.

In their entire history, the Phillies have two World Series titles. In the A's Philadelphia Era, they ended up with five. At the rate we're moving, it could be close to 2100 before the Phillies catch the A's early dominance. On the bright side, after waiting 77 years for the first title, Phillies fans only had to wait another 28 for the second.

Maybe they can run off a couple of quick ones to speed up the process and knock this out before 2100. Jokes aside, the Phillies have a historic franchise with some of the best players in MLB history. They've played in eight World Series in their history, and it's tough to come out on the losing end so often.

The club is due for some changes this winter, but they have a lot of pieces in place to make a run to the World Series next year. Unfortunately, they're in the same league as the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the same division as the free-spending New York Mets, so their path to the top isn't easy.

1989 Wasn't an Aberration

Jul 21, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Hall of Famers and members of the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series Championship team Rickey Henderson, left, and Dennis Eckersley pose for a photograph on the field before the start of a Major League Baseball game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

After a quick layover in Kansas City, the A's made their way to Oakland, California in 1968, and already had a lot of their core in place for their World Series runs from 1972-74. Before the A's had spent a decade in their new home, they'd already set up a dynasty.

The Giants had a chance in 1962, but lost to the New York Yankees in seven games. They also had a run in 1971, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1971 NLCS in four games.

Then things got fun. The Giants lost in the NLCS yet again in 1987, this time in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, but the A's lost in the World Series in 1988. The two clubs matched up for a face-off in 1989, and the A's swept the Giants in the Earthquake Series, giving them their fourth World Series title in the Bay Area, and nine overall.

Since then, the Giants have caught up nicely, winning championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, but since that run they have made the postseason twice (2016 and 2021), losing to the Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers.

The current tally is 4-3 A's, but the Giants are making moves which could set them up nicely in the near future.

Aug 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner carries the 2014 World Series championship trophy onto the field during a ceremony celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Giants' championship team at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

But for now, the A's have played in three different permanent cities, and have been the better team in two of those. Kansas City is the only city where the other team, in this case the Royals, has bested them. That said, the A's were only around from 1955-1967, and went on to win three titles in a row not too long after they left.

The Royals won their first title in 1985, beating the Cardinals in seven games, and picked up their second 30 years later in 2015 over the Mets.

The A's history is fairly complicated, given that they're the only team to move around as much as they have, but at the same time, they've won (nearly) everywhere they've been. While they're in Sacramento now, they're building up a pretty good roster filled with young talent—not unlike the team that left Kansas City all those years ago.

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