How Athletics Became American League's Biggest Villain

Every September spoiler has a beginning, and for the Athletics, this came in their recent series vs. the Twins. A series in which the Athletics would take back-to-back games to win the series outright. If the series had gone the other way, the Twins would have been 64-67 and just 3.0 games behind the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.

A series like this, this late in the season, had ramifications that the Twins were unable to overcome. In the games following that series, the Twins went 5-7 down the stretch. A match was clearly lit in the Twins' downfall following a rough series loss against one of baseball's worst.

The Athletics Strike Back: Shutting Door on Mariners

There was once a time when the Athletics looked like real contenders for the AL West title, with the only real threat being the Mariners. A team that would completely dismantle the Athletics when they had a 2.5-game lead in the division. A series that, in hindsight, completely destroyed the Athletics' chances of being taken seriously.

Fast forward a series ago, the patchwork Athletics would take three of four, essentially closing the door on the Mariners' playoff hopes. If reversed, the Mariners would have been 69-71 and only 3.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. With another series coming up, the Athletics can really end the Mariners' season.

Spoilers Incarnate: How Athletics Derailed AL's Most Hopeful

In the Athletics' most recent series vs. the Blue Jays, we saw a team determined to ruin the other's hopes. For one, in the series opener, the Athletics would essentially end superstar pitcher Dylan Cease's Cy Young candidacy by scoring five runs while recording four hits in just 5.0 innings. A performance like that is devastating for anyone looking to earn an end-of-season award.

Overall, the Athletics did a lot of damage to the Blue Jays' playoff hopes. Entering the series, the Blue Jays were neck and neck with the Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot, but afterward, the Jays had fallen to 1.5 games back. This small separation between two playoff teams, while not entirely secure, could be the difference between the Blue Jays missing the playoffs completely.