For the anniversary of one of the most memorable World Series, we've lined up three special episodes of “Old Baseball Cards” featuring stars of that 1989 Oakland A's championship team. To start, we're opening packs of 1989 Topps and Fleer with A's ace Dave Stewart, who was the World Series MVP that year and who threw a shutout in Game 1 of the series. Stewart leads off by finding a Giants player and shares lots of memories from there.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is continuing its probe into the opioids-related death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs and possible opioid abuse by players and employees. According to the LA Times, the DEA has interviewed six current or former Angels players as part of its investigation, including Matt Harvey, Noe Ramirez and Andrew Heaney. Harvey, who was released on July 21 and signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics a few weeks later, was with the Angels for only the 2019 season.

Oakland Athletics third base coach Matt Williams is going on an extended road trip, having agreed to a manage the Kia Tigers of the KBO League in South Korea. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Monday night that Williams received a three-year contract, and Williams confirmed via text message to NBC Sports Bay Area that he took the job. Williams, 53, has been Bob Melvin's third base coach in Oakland for two seasons.

Bruce Maxwell had an eventful three-year run with the Oakland A's to begin his major league career after he decided to kneel during the national anthem in 2017, becoming the first and only MLB player to do so. After struggling in 2018, Maxwell did not drum up interest as a free agent and instead spent the 2019 season in Mexico. The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser caught up with Maxwell, who said he is still receiving criticism on social media: “I had a few people on Twitter saying, 'F— you, I still hope you die.

In a meeting last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred threatened that the Oakland A's would move to Las Vegas if the City of Oakland did not drop a lawsuit against Alameda County regarding a dispute over redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum property. Today Oakland's mayor confirmed the story. The A's, as you know, have been endeavoring to get a new ballpark for years and years.

Jon Heyman says that the Padres are doing “due diligence” on Braves third base coach Ron Washington as a possible candidate for their vacant manager job. Washington managed the Texas Rangers from 2007 into 2014, winning two pennants and compiling a record of 664-611 (.521). Throughout that time current Padres general manager A.J. Preller was in the Rangers front office, so he is familiar with Washington and his work.

Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton looks to go 2-0 in potential postseason elimination games in the last six days, this time against his former team, when the Tampa Bay Rays try to stay alive in the American League Division Series in Game 3 against the visiting Houston Astros on Monday afternoon. The Astros (2-0), top-seeded in the AL playoffs, have suffocated the Rays (0-2) with brilliant starting pitching in the first two games of the series, getting a combined 14 2/3 innings of five-hit, shutout ball from Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole in 6-2 and 3-1 wins. Houston's third top-notch starter, right-hander Zack Greinke (18-5, 2.93), will get first crack at clinching the best-of-five series and sending the Astros to the AL Championship Series for the third straight year.

Manager Bob Melvin knows the Oakland Athletics might need to find a way to win the AL West to guarantee themselves a long playoff series. Pulling past the powerful Astros is the next aim for the A's, daunting as it might be. Two straight AL wild-card losses following 97-win seasons have left the A's going into the offseason again wondering what it will take to finally get over the hump in a tough division dominated by Houston the past three years.

The MLB playoffs have begun as the Washington Nationals won a dramatic wild-card game over the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics convincingly. Meanwhile, the NHL season started and another NFL star appears keen to change teams. The best part of the baseball season is upon us as the divisional round matchups are set.

The American League Division Series are set. After the Tampa Bay Rays' convincing 5-1 win in the wild-card game over the Oakland Athletics, they will begin their clash with the Houston Astros on Friday. The other teams battling it out for a place in the Championship Series will be the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, and we have previewed both match-ups.

The Tampa Bay Rays did Wednesday night, and largely because of it, they'll get at least three more chances to do it this postseason. Yandy Diaz hit two home runs, one on Sean Manaea's fifth pitch of the game, as the Rays overpowered the host Oakland Athletics 5-1 in the American League wild-card game. The wild-card loss was the second straight for the A's, who dropped their ninth straight winner-take-all playoff game dating to 1973.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE to see today's piping-hot, fresh-outta-the-oven episode of THE RUSH with Jared Quay! We'll let you know everything you didn't know you needed to know about sports. Other stuff too.

Yandy Diaz hit two home runs, one on Sean Manaea's fifth pitch of the game, as the Tampa Bay Rays overpowered the host Oakland Athletics 5-1 in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night. Oakland lost 7-2 to the New York Yankees in last year's AL wild-card game. Diaz, who returned Sunday from a two-month layoff caused by a fractured left foot, worked Manaea to a 3-1 count as the game's first batter before driving a fastball over the wall in right field.

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Oakland Athletics, 5-1, in the American League Wild Card game Wednesday night.

Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays homered in his first two at-bats of Wednesday's AL wild-card game. In the first five innings of Wednesday's AL wild-card game against the Oakland Athletics, the Rays unexpectedly exploded for four home runs to an impressive 5-1 lead. Three of the home runs were hit against Oakland starter Sean Manaea, who lasted just 10 batters and recorded only six outs.

So now, the Athletics and Rays face off on Wednesday for the right to take on the Astros in the American League Division Series, but they could very well get past Houston and win it all. Here is one reason why for both teams: Athletics: This line-up is annoying We say this jokingly but also truthfully because this is about as pesky of a line-up as there is in MLB this year. And we do not mean they are a slap-hitting, free-running team that ekes across runs at opportune times, we mean they can score runs in multiple ways and adjust their approach to whichever pitcher they ae facing.

Here are the major storylines ahead of Wednesday's clash between the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on TBS. Savvy baseball — Tampa Bay had the lowest payroll in the league and Oakland was the 25th biggest spender this year.

The Oakland Athletics host the surging Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night in a single game elimination matchup with a chance to take on the Houston Astros in the American League Divisional Series. The Rays will send out right-hander Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA, 240 Ks, 194 2/3 innings, 33 starts) against the Athletics' lefty Sean Manea (4-0, 1.21 in 5 starts). Oakland is 0-5 in winner-take-all playoff games at home since 2000.

The Oakland A's and Tampa Bay Rays are well-matched opponents for a wild-card game because in baseball's most unpredictable game, they're two of baseball's most unconventional teams. You never look at the A's or Rays and think they're going to be one of baseball's elite teams. For the A's, they've put together a potent offense with Matt Chapman, Matt Olsen and Marcus Semien, plus the always dangerous veteran Khris Davis.

Clubs played a wild game in Oakland on June 20, with the Rays scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 4-1 lead before A's answered with four in bottom half to win on Chapman's three-run homer off Castillo. Olson hit 3 HRs in seven games vs. Rays this season. Chapman and Laureano each went deep twice.