By this time, the nucleus of the 1929–31 dynasty was in place for the A's. The team featured three starters who were later elected into the
Hall of Fame: catcher
Mickey Cochrane and outfielders
Al Simmons and
Ty Cobb. Cochrane was voted league MVP. Simmons led the team with a .351 batting average and 107 RBI. Cobb, in his last major league season, hit .323 in 95 games.
Jimmie Foxx,
Tris Speaker, and
Eddie Collins also saw playing time for the 1928 team. The pitching staff, led by 24-game winner
Lefty Grove, allowed the fewest runs in the AL. The A's were in a hard fought pennant race with the
New York Yankees this season. After trailing the Yankees by 13.5 games on July 1, the A's caught fire with a 25-8 record in July and a 19-9 record in August. In September, the A's won the first 6 out of 8 games and on the 8th pulled into first place by 1/2 game by sweeping the Red Sox at
Fenway Park in a doubleheader. However, on the very next day, the A's were swept by the Yankees in a doubleheader at
Yankee Stadium to fall back into second place. The A's kept close on the Yankees heels, but couldn't overtake New York.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Roster == Player stats ==