The Athletics dropped two of three against the Kansas City Royals in their final series. They end the 2025 season with a record of 76-86.
Results
FRI: ATH 4, KC 3
Neither lineup scored a run in the first three innings on Friday night. Then, Jonathan India took Mason Barnett deep for a three-run HR in the 4th. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5th, Jacob Wilson responded with a bases-clearing, three-run double. After Lawrence Butler struck out to begin the inning, Darell Hernaiz singled in the bottom of the 9th. A Brett Harris fielder’s choice left the A’s with two outs and a runner on first (Max Schuemann pinch-ran for Harris). Continuing his scorching second half, Shea Langeliers hit a line drive out to left-center and Adam Frazier could not make the catch. Schuemann scored all the way from first for a walkoff win for the A’s.
SAT: KC 4, ATH 2
After starring as the hero on Friday night, the 1st inning on Saturday didn’t go as smoothly for Shea Langeliers. He allowed the first run to score as his throw went into the outfield trying to stop Bobby Witt Jr. from stealing. Vinnie Pasquantino floated a pop up into shallow left in the 5th that fell between Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom. That resulted in a two-run RBI double on a bloop with less than 70 mph exit velocity. Carlos Cortes got the hosts on the board with an RBI double in the 7th. Langeliers cut the lead to one run in the 8th as his RBI double made it 3-2. Witt Jr. added an insurance run with RBI single in the 9th before Carlos Estevez closed the game out. After hitting Wilson with a pitch, he retired the next three batters in order.
SUN: KC 9, ATH 2
The 2025 season finale was a blowout loss for the Athletics. Already trailing by one, Mitch Spence entered in the 4th inning as the bulk man in a bullpen game. He proceeded to allowed seven hits and three earned runs in three innings. Michael Kelly and Osvaldo Bido each allowed multiple runs following Spence’s departure. By the middle of the 8th inning, the Royals led 9-0. Nick Kurtz ended the shutout bid with a two-run, 423 ft. homer in the bottom of the 8th. Brett Harris walked and JJ Bleday doubled in the 9th. But, that was all the offense the A’s could muster and the lopsided loss ended the 2025 campaign.
What Else?
- The Athletics finished the season with a 76-86 record, which is another step in the right direction. The team won 60 games in 2022 before dropping down to just 50 games in ‘23. Last season, they took a big step and finished with 69 wins. Now, they improved that total again and the future looks brighter.
- At the base level, this season’s math is pretty easy to explain. The offense was really good and the pitching was really bad. Obviously, there is the nuance of the ballpark they play in and that most of the heralded young players are hitters. But, the stats are the stats in the end. Offensively, the A’s ranked 7th in HRs, 8th in OPS, 2nd in doubles, 5th in hits, and 12th in runs. On the mound, they had the 4th-worst ERA, the 7th-worst bullpen ERA, allowed the 8th-most hits, and the 3rd-most home runs. There is no mystery as to where this team needs to improve to take the next step.
- A massive piece of that explosive offense was rookie 1B Nick Kurtz. He is the runaway favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year and seeing him receive some down-ballot MVP votes should be a reality. In less than a full season (one year after being drafted out of Wake Forest), he hit 36 home runs and finished with a 1.002 OPS. That is the 3rd-highest OPS in baseball this season (for players with more than five plate appearances), only behind multiple time MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
- On the pitching side, Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs were the biggest additions and were expected to lead the staff. Sevy’s first half was rough (5.16 ERA). I’ve previously written about his diminished swing-and-miss stuff (see his Savant page here) and he had the comments against pitching at Sutter Health Park. In the second half, despite missing most of August with an injury, he pitched better. His second half ERA was down to 3.10 and he went 6-0. The home/away splits are glaring (home ERA of 6.01 vs. away ERA of 3.02), but that situation isn’t going to change in 2026. Perhaps, he will adjust to the park’s dimension and ride the momentum from his improved second half. Springs didn’t have drastic splits depending on where he was pitching, but it was a very underwhelming season after being acquired from the Rays in the offseason. His ERA was 4.11 and he was actually outperformed by Jacob Lopez, a lesser-known commodity also acquired from Tampa Bay.
- Tasked with working on the pitching side of the roster, David Forst will be back as GM for the Athletics. He’s done well in recent years in adding young talented players to the organization via the draft like Nick Kurtz or trades like Leo De Vries. He needs to show now that he can move the team from the rebuilding stage to competing.
- In the midst of the last series of the season, the team announced that they will wear gold alternate uniforms next season with Sacramento across the chest. Many have pointed out that the jerseys were unveiled just days after an ESPN article highlighting the significant issues between the fans in Sacramento and the team. It’s a unique situation that the team put themselves in as they balance embracing the local fans and community of a temporary home with their eyes long-term on Vegas. While hopefully Year 2 will see an improvement in that regard, expectations will be understandably low. But, even if it’s just a small gesture, the uniforms look solid and are a tiny tip of the cap to their current home.
System Spotlight
Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A)
Those that attended the Triple-A Championship over the weekend at Las Vegas Ballpark definitely got their money’s worth. The scoring started with a bases-loaded walk of Junior Perez to out Las Vegas ahead of Jacksonville in the 3rd inning. The Jumbo Shrimp responded in the bottom of the frame with a pair of two-run home runs to go ahead, 4-1. The International League champs extended their lead to 6-1 in the 5th with RBI hits from Victor Mesa Jr. and Jacob Berry. Cooper Bowman’s sacrifice fly pulled a run back in the 8th. Then, a chaotic 9th inning took place.
Denzel Clarke cut the lead to three with an RBI single before a Nick Martini RBI groundout made it 6-4. Then, Bryan Lavastida took star prospect Robby Snelling deep for a go-ahead, three-run blast. Jake Walkinshaw entered to close the game out, but he allowed a single to Jack Winkler to start the inning. After getting Mesa Jr. to strike out, Berry hit a two-run, walk-off home run to crown the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp the Triple-A champions.
The Aviators were well-represented in the 2025 Triple-A awards winners. Fran Riordan was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year. He also received that honor in 2019 and 2023. Also, Carlos Cortes and Ben Bowden were named to the PCL All-Star team.
What’s Next?
The off-season! While the weekly pieces from me will not continue throughout the offseason, you can expect an article when there’s some significant news to discuss for the Athletics. Then, before you know it, it will be time for the 2026 season.
(Top photo of Lawrence Butler, courtesy: Athletics)
