<P> The Oakland Athletics' 2002 season was the team's 35th in Oakland, California . </P> <P> It was also the 102nd season in franchise history . The Athletics finished first in the American League West with a record of 103 - 59 . </P> <P> The Athletics' 2002 campaign ranks among the most famous in franchise history . Following the 2001 season, Oakland saw the departure of three key players . Billy Beane, the team's general manager, responded with a series of under - the - radar free agent signings . The new - look Athletics, despite a comparative lack of star power, surprised the baseball world by besting the 2001 team's regular season record . The team is most famous, however, for winning 20 consecutive games between August 13 and September 4, 2002 . The Athletics' season was the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (as Lewis was given the opportunity to follow the team around throughout that season). A film adaptation of the book, also titled Moneyball, was released in 2011 . </P> <Ul> <Li> November 2, 2001: Mark Bellhorn was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Chicago Cubs for Adam Morrissey (minors). </Li> <Li> December 14, 2001: David Justice was traded to the Oakland Athletics by the New York Mets for Mark Guthrie and Tyler Yates . This trade was preceded by a swap between the New York Mets and New York Yankees of Robin Ventura for Justice one week prior . </Li> <Li> January 11, 2002: Randy Velarde was signed as a free agent by the Oakland Athletics . </Li> <Li> March 19, 2002: Justin Duchscherer was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Oakland Athletics for Luis Vizcaíno . </Li> </Ul>

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