Thank you, Justin Verlander, for making it quick and somewhat painless.

There was no heartbreaking moment at the end of this one. This was not a one-run game with a gut-wrenching foul popout with a runner on second or a called third strike with the bases loaded. This was just Verlander pitching like what he is – the best pitcher in baseball.

Oh, there was a little hope that the A’s could keep the magic going a little bit longer. But that quickly went away as soon as Jarrod Parker gave up a couple of runs in the third inning. Verlander was already dealing, more than he had in Game 1. And when the Tigers plated four more runs in the 7th, I had the rest of the game to accept it and let it sink in. So the final out – Seth Smith’s groundout to second base – did not crush me.

So the best pitcher in baseball threw a complete game shutout and the A’s 2012 season is over. Maybe things will change as memories of details fade over time, but for now this was my favorite Oakland A’s season ever. From the offseason trades to the Cespedes signing, from the Japan opener to the discovery of Reddick’s cannon arm, from the losing streak in June to the hot streak of July, from the four-game sweep of the Yankees in July to the crushing extra inning loss in New York in September, and from the clinching of playoffs that eliminated the Angels to the improbable clinching of the A.L. West – I won’t ever forget this. Baseball will break your heart but this season just made me feel lucky to have it in my life.

Go A’s…

Really. We’ve used them a lot this season: Magical, unbelievable, amazing, improbable. Last night’s win was all of those things, and then some. I really don’t know what to call it. All I do know though is the A’s will play another baseball game tonight after what transpired in the bottom of the 9th inning last night.

Max Scherzer was on. A.J. Griffin was not, but he got through without letting the game get out of hand. Down 2-0, the A’s took advantage of a Prince Fielder error in the sixth, as Coco Crisp made it to second on the play and then Stephen Drew doubled him home. But Drew and third base coach Mike Gallego made a poor decision to keep running all the way to third, and Drew was thrown out by a mile. That was a rally-killing, and possibly season-killing play.

Another rally-killing and possibly season-killing play happened in the bottom of the 8th. The A’s were down 3-1 at that point, and they had two runners on and two out for cleanup hitter Brandon Moss. But Moss struck out swinging to end the threat, and at that moment, I thought it was over. I thought I was watching the last game of the A’s 2012 season.

But then came the bottom of the 9th. Did the A’s any magic left, or did they use it all up in the regular season?

Josh Reddick singled to lead off the inning, and the crowd woke up and got back into it. Then Josh Donaldson doubled to the left-center field gap and we had runners at second and third with nobody out. That’s when everyone knew. There was no way the A’s were going to lose this game. Seth Smith doubled to the right-center field gap to plate both runs and tie the game. Then after George Kottaras popped out and Cliff Pennington struck out, Crisp came to the plate with a chance to win it. And he lined a single to right field that Avisail Garcia had trouble picking up, and Smith scored easily. A’s win!

In a matter of minutes, the A’s season went from one foot in the grave to very much alive. Now just one game stands between the A’s and the ALCS, and they’ll have to do it against Justin Verlander.

Game 5. Bring. It. On. Go A’s!!!!!!!

One down, two to go.

After a brutal two games in Detroit, the A’s returned home to the friendly confines of the O.co Coliseum. And they looked all the part of one of the toughest teams to beat at home in all of baseball, cruising to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS.

The A’s still have their backs against the wall in this series, but they took one step closer to evening things up with the win last night. And they don’t have to worry about setting foot in Comerica Park at all again this season.

That’s the beauty of the 2-3 Division Series format that is in place for 2012. Just a few days ago, many A’s fans – myself included – were complaining about how unfair it is that the team with homefield advantage had to start on the road. Now, I’m sure glad the next game (or two) are in Oakland.

The road vs. home challenges were no more clear than in the 2nd inning of last night’s game, when Coco Crisp ran full speed and jumped at the wall to rob Prince Fielder of a game-tying home run. This came just two days after he dropped a sinking popup in Detroit – a pivitol play in the game that swung the momentum the Tigers’ direction. In Detroit, Coco got a bad read on the ball off the bat and a late jump on the ball. In Oakland, however, he covered a massive amount of ground in an outfield he knows very well, and timed everything perfectly.

And how money was Brett Anderson? Just filthy, despite sitting for three weeks, still nursing a sore oblique, and not having his best control of his pitches. He still dominated for six innings, giving up zero runs and just three hits, while striking out six and walking two.

And after Anderson was done, Bob Melvin proved again why he’s the AL Manager of the Year with some masterful bullpen management. Usually he goes with Sean Doolittle in the 7th, Ryan Cook in the 8th, and Grant Balfour in the 9th. But this time, he went Cook, Doolittle, then Balfour. Why? It was all about where the Tigers were in the lineup. Jim Leyland’s mix-and-match guys were at the bottom of the order, and the Tigers’ lineup was set up for facing the lefty Anderson, so the right-handed hitters – Avisail Garcia and Gerald Laird – were the #8 and #9 hitters. By having Cook go in the against the team’s #4 through #7 hitters, Leyland was not going to be pinch hitting for anyone then. And then with the southpaw Doolittle going in the 8th, Garcia and Laird were going to stay in the game, while Quentin Berry and Alex Avila stayed on the bench. Basically they were moves to keep Leyland from making moves. And when you have Doolittle, a lefty who can throw gas past righty hitters just as well as lefty hitters, you don’t have to worry about right/left matchups from the pitching standpoint.

So we will have a baseball game to watch tonight. A.J. Griffin will be on the hill for the A’s and we’ll see if he can step up and throw a good game after a couple of shaky outings, much like Travis Blackley did when he stepped up in Game 161 against the Rangers. It’s the playoffs and anything can happen. Go A’s!!

Brandon Moss almost hit a game-tying home run in Game 1. Coco Crisp almost beat the throw to the plate in Game 2. He also almost caught that shallow popup. And Cliff Pennington almost hit a game-tying home run in the 9th.

Almost. But almost doesn’t cut it. Welcome back to postseason baseball, A’s.

The A’s made their return to the playoffs in the same place they left it in 2006 – at Comerica Park in Detroit. And they picked up where they left off, dropping the first two games of the ALDS to the Tigers. In their last six postseason games, the A’s are 0-6, all against the Tigers.

It wasn’t because of the rookies starters. Well, not totally. Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone both pitched extremely well in their postseason debuts, but Parker’s flub of a dribbler up the line in Game 1 cost the A’s a run. Tommy Milone worked a great six innings in Game 2 and gave the A’s a great chance to win.

But, it was not to be. There were just too many almosts. Oh, and there was that guy Justin Verlander in Game 1. Coco Crisp led off the game with a homer against him, but otherwise the top strikeout pitcher in baseball mowed down the worst strikeout team in baseball for seven innings. The A’s couldn’t capitalize on getting him out of the game either, though Brandon Moss almost hit a tying home run in the 8th. Almost.

In Game 2, big almosts involving Coco Crisp loomed large. First, there was Coco getting thrown out at the plate, trying to score on Brandon Moss’s single to right. I have no problem with Mike Gallego sending Coco to the plate on that play. It took a perfect throw by Avisail Garcia and a perfect tag by Gerald Laird to get him at the plate. Coco almost scored. Almost!

Then there came the shallow fly ball off the bat of Miguel Cabrera in the 7th. There were two outs and two runners on. Coco charged in, and he almost had it. Almost! It tipped off his glove twice and then dropped to the ground. A’s fans everywhere – myself included – screamed, “Noooooooooooooo!” as two Detroit Tigers scored to take the lead.

And to add insult to injury, the A’s took the lead again the following inning, only to blow it again. Talk about a wild roller coaster ride that ends with a punch to the gut.

This is what we wanted though, right? Postseason baseball! Oh, but it hurts so much more the further into October you go. Go A’s…

5. A’s defeat the Twins in Game 3 of the 2006 ALDS to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 1992.

4. A’s defeat the Giants in Game 4 of the 1989 World Series to win their first title since 1974.

3. A’s win their A.L. record-setting 20th game in a row on a Scott Hatteberg pinch-hit, walkoff home run 2002.

2. A’s defeat the Texas Rangers in Game 162 in 2000 to clinch the AL West Division title.

1. A’s defeat the Texas Rangers in Game 162 in 2012 to clinch the AL West Division title.

Things move up an down the rankings over time, which is why the one A’s World Series title of my lifetime is only my fourth favorite A’s moment. Say what you want about how silly it is to put that behind the others, but I was only 12 years old at the time and had been an A’s fan for all of two years. At the time, I didn’t understand the magnitude – and the rarity – of what I witnessed.

But one thing I did understand the magnitude of was yesterday’s victory over the Rangers that put the A’s on top of the AL West for good in the 2012 season. This team was 13 games back on June 30, and 5 games back with 9 to play. On Monday, they were 2 games back with 3 to play against the two-time defending American League champs – a must sweep situation. And they did it. Unbelievable, amazing, etc. – it can’t really be put into words.

Josh Hamilton dropping that shallow fly ball on October 3, 2012 has been added to my mental highlight reel of moments in my history as an A’s fan, much like Marco Scutaro’s bases-clearing double on October 6, 2006 and Hatteberg’s walkoff on September 4, 2002. It is an image that will be forever ingrained in my memory.

And now, the A’s get to relax for a few days. It truly feels amazing. But it’s not over…

Go A’s!!!