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Twins close out A's streak

Oakland's winning ways end at 20 and its lead over Anaheim in the AL West shrinks to two with its 6-0 loss.

©Associated Press
September 7, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS -- Their winning streak stopped at 20 games, the Athletics still have the AL West race to worry about.

Shut out by Brad Radke, the A's fell short of matching the second-longest winning streak in baseball history with a 6-0 loss to the Twins on Friday in a Metrodome filled with fans waving Homer Hankies.

They also saw their division lead over the Angels shrink to two games.

"It's amazing -- 20 games in a row, and we still haven't really pulled away," said Scott Hatteberg, who had two hits in the first game since his ninth-inning, pinch-hit homer made up for a blown 11-0 lead and gave the A's a 12-11 victory over the Royals Wednesday.

"Our streak's really overshadowed the way they've played," Hatteberg said of Anaheim, which beat the Orioles 6-3. "But it hasn't surprised us."

After playing the Twins twice more, the A's play 11 in a row against the Angels and the Mariners, their two pursuers in the West.

"They're not going away," said Cory Lidle, who lost for the first time since July 30.

The Cubs of 1880 and 1935 won 21 in a row, and the 1916 New York Giants own the major-league record of 26 wins in a row. The A's set the AL mark for consecutive victories since their last loss, 2-1 to Toronto on Aug. 12.

"Obviously, it wasn't going to go on forever," Lidle said.

"It's quiet in here right now, but I think everyone's excited about what we've done."

The crowd was only 27,409, but the fans were loud. Fans began chanting "Streak is over!" in the eighth after Torii Hunter scored on Mike Fyhrie's wild pitch to put the Twins up 6-0.

Those white handkerchiefs had rarely been seen since Twins fans cheered their team on to the 1991 World Series championship, but they gave the game a bit of an October feel.

This could be a preview of the playoffs, too, because these teams would meet in the AL division series if the season ended now.

Radke pitched a six-hitter, striking out five and walking one in his best and longest outing since returning from a groin injury that cost him two months. He posted his first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.

Lidle, the AL's pitcher of the month for August after he went 5-0 in six starts with a 0.19 ERA, gave up eight hits, five for extra bases.

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