Giambi's 36th homer was his 100th in the Coliseum, putting him in an exclusive club. Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco are the only others to accomplish that feat in one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly parks. During the day, the ball travels a lot better than it does at night. It's an honor to get in that club. It's great company to be in, but it's not something you can focus on more than wins and losses.
Some statistics are more pretty than they are a reflection of pitching.
Miguel Tejada got in on the milestone march by hitting a three-run homer as the AL wild card winners rebounded from two losses in a weekend series at Seattle by romping to another easy victory at the Coliseum. Tejada and Eric Chavez, who both have exactly 30 homers and 110 RBIs, are the first shortstop-third baseman combination in baseball history to hit 30 homers apiece. I was rooting for him to get that 30th homer as soon as I got mine. The A's, 62-20 since June 27, haven't lost in Oakland since Aug. 24. Zito wasn't in the unhittable form that made him one of baseball's best pitchers in the second half.