Athletics Drub Hapless Marlins 20-4 to Unexpectedly Reach .500 for Season

Patrick Andres | May 4, 2024

May 1, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Abraham Toro (31). / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Off the field, the Oakland Athletics are a mess, pushing through a relocation to Las Vegas unwanted by nearly all except boss John Fisher and MLB's other 29 owners.

On the field, to the shock of the baseball world, the Athletics are doing just fine.

On Saturday, Oakland raised eyebrows on a crowded sports day by destroying the Miami Marlins 20–4 at the Oakland Coliseum—a win that moved the team to .500 on the season.

Before 7,809 fans, the Athletics jumped on the Marlins with 10 runs in the third inning to take a 12–0 lead. The offense never slowed down, racking up 21 hits on the day. Seven players had multi-hit efforts.

Key contributors for the Athletics included pitcher Paul Blackburn, who threw seven innings of one-run ball to move to 3–1 on the season, and designated hitter Brent Rooker, who drove in five of Oakland's 20 runs.

While the Athletics moved within a game and a half of first place in the AL West, Miami dropped to an abysmal 9–26.