They clinched the World Series on Eddie Plank’s two-hitter to beat Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants in five games. They ran it back to win 99 games and another pennant the following year.

The Washington Nationals had really done it. They were World Series champions. After all those years of heartbreak, they were at the top of the mountain. The playoff chokers were playoff champions.

Even with a 99-win season, the Athletics finished up that five-year stretch with a winning percentage of .386, the worst for any MLB team in their first five years after winning a World Series.