OAKLAND -- The A¡¯s astonishing futility in winner-take-all postseason contests continued with their 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Wednesday¡¯s American League Wild Card Game.

The A¡¯s have lost nine consecutive games in which a victory would have advanced them to a more prestigious postseason series. Home-field advantage hasn¡¯t helped Oakland, which has dropped six of these games before friendly, encouraging Coliseum throngs. Both of those streaks are dubious Major League records. Three of the losses occurred in one-game Wild Card showdowns; six unfolded in the finales of five-game Division Series.

"We've lost the last two with this group here. So it's a different group every year," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "I don't think they're too wound up about that. Get into this Wild Card Game and a lot of times it comes down to pitching and timely hitting. They got us on the run early in the game, and we really couldn't answer."

The A¡¯s haven¡¯t triumphed in a win-or-go-home game since 1973, when they subdued the New York Mets, 5-2, in Game 7 of the World Series. That happened to be the final game in which the legendary Willie Mays suited up as a player, though he did not appear in the contest for the Mets.

Oakland embarked upon its trail of postseason woe beginning in 2000. The A¡¯s outscored the Yankees in the Division Series, 23-19, but Oakland amassed nearly half of its runs in an 11-1 Game 4 rout. When it counted most, the A¡¯s dropped Game 5, 7-5, as New York held on after scoring six first-inning runs.

The script remained familiar, with minor alterations, in Oakland¡¯s successive one-and-done encounters:

2001: Oakland blew a 2-0 series lead to the Yankees, as momentum reversed with New York¡¯s 1-0 triumph in Game 3. That was the scene of Yanks shortstop Derek Jeter¡¯s now-famous flip home that retired Jeremy Giambi, who did not slide as he unsuccessfully tried to score from first base on Terrence Long¡¯s drive to right field.

2002: Again Oakland gained an encouraging advantage, moving ahead of Minnesota, two games to one. Undaunted, the Twins thrashed the A¡¯s in Game 4, 11-2, before sealing the series with a 5-4 victory.

2003: Oakland again forged a 2-0 series lead, this time against Boston. Then came an excruciating ending for the A¡¯s. They dropped Game 3 in 11 innings, 3-1, before the Red Sox edged them in the next two games, 5-4 and 4-3.

2012: Trailing Detroit two games to none, the A¡¯s gamely persevered in a pair of low-scoring games to pull even in the series. But right-hander Justin Verlander paced the Tigers to a 6-0 triumph in Game 5 by pitching a complete-game four-hitter. He walked one and struck out 11.

2013: The A¡¯s nightmare became a recurring one. They couldn¡¯t put away Detroit despite capturing two of the series¡¯ first three games. Verlander again won the Game 5 clincher, allowing three hits in eight innings while walking one and striking out 10.

2014: Jon Lester bequeathed a 7-4 lead to the bullpen with one out and a run in as the Wild Card Game in Kansas City moved into the eighth inning. Then things got wild. The Royals scored three eighth-inning runs, all charged to Lester, before forcing extra innings. Oakland inched ahead with a run in the 12th, but Kansas City received RBI singles from Christian Col¨®n and Salvador P¨¦rez in its half of the inning to give the Royals a 9-8 victory.

2018: Another year and another Wild Card Game heaped more frustration upon the A¡¯s, who lost, 7-2, at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge¡¯s two-run homer off Oakland opener Liam Hendriks set the pace for the Yankees, who added four sixth-inning runs, including two generated by Luke Voit¡¯s triple. Yanks starter Luis Severino worked only four innings but struck out six of the first nine batters he faced.