​Until proven impossible, you watch the 162-game season hoping your team can reach the postseason. And there’s still a glimmer of possibility for 2026, since Fangraphs projects the A’s to have about a 10% chance. It’s easy to imagine part of that estimate comes from a formula that rewards big win streaks, dramatic late-season surges, or even a maddening 1-20 stretch with a “Hey, it’s the A’s—you never know with that team” kind of bump. But “41-50 is 41-50,” and the A’s recent 3-12 skid has tested even their most faithful supporters and strained their optimism. Hope costs nothing, but if you do the math, you might realize it’s time to pivot from clinging to “We’re only five games back of the third wild-card spot” to considering a different fan strategy.
That’s where it helps, in my view, to treat each game as its own mini-season. The beauty of that approach is that every one of those micro-seasons starts 0-0 and tied for first. Each game has its early stretch where you’re trying to get off to a strong start and establish yourself as the front-runner. It will take its own twists and turns, just like any long season—whether it’s a 162-game marathon or a nine-inning contest. By the time the season nears its end, you often find yourself in a tight race against one other team, batting back and forth until the wire. And ultimately, there is one winner, one team that navigates the twists and turns to prevail.
All of that happens within a single game. Each game, in its own right, makes you feel like a contender, because in baseball any team can beat any other on any given day. So that’s how I’ll approach today’s game: Game #92 is around the corner, and I’ll be glued to the screen, watching the season unfold, evolve, and reach its conclusion in under three hours. With Opening Day vibes returning tomorrow—think of it as the first inning—this is how the day will unfold in my mind, again and again.
I hope that at some point in 2026 it will again make sense to scoreboard-watch and keep a close tally of how many games under or over .500 the A’s are. For now, though, the rallying cry is simple: Go, Game #92 A’s! Here’s to more moments that feel like a fresh start, more strategic pivots, and more of that 162-game faith that keeps fans coming back for the ride.