Did they win the last game of the season? No, they didn’t. And yet, the 76-win Athletics can reflect fondly on the 2025 season. But it is still October, and there is still baseball left to be played, even if the A’s aren’t apart of it. What follows is meant as a guide for how to cheer on the Athletics in the 2025 MLB playoffs.
Who To Root For
Of course, any good A’s fan loves to hate the Giants above all else. But the Giants aren’t even in the postseason this year, so any disdain for them is wasn’t energy. As for the rest of the NL, the lack of crossover makes historic rivalries scarce, but rooting against the two California teams in the playoffs – the Dodgers and the Padres – is never a bad idea.
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Over in the American League, the Athletics, being such a storied franchise, were more enemies than they know what to do with. Starting with the obvious (maybe), the Mariners aren’t necessarily a rival, but it’s safe to say the A’s don’t like them. As for the other two division winners, the Blue Jays and the Guardians, the Athletics have no quarrel with them. The AL wild card teams, however, are distasteful to A’s fans. The Tigers have expressed dominance over the A’s, too much dominance to even be a rival. The Red Sox are annoying more than anything else, notably trying to steal away Billy Beane. And last but definitely not least, the Yankees of course belong on the list of the Athletics rivals. From the thefts of Rickey Henderson and Jason Giambi, and the countless playoff losses at their hands, the Yankees are most definitely near the top of the Athletics hate list.
In short, the Blue Jays, Guardians and non-California NL teams are the safest picks to win it all. As for individual playoff series, the important things to remember are: don’t root for the Yankees, and never root for the Giants.
