After logging 2,001 regular-season games, Oakland Athletics designated hitter Adam Dunn is finally set to make the first postseason appearance of his career in Tuesday's American League wild-card game against the Kansas City Royals. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Dunn will no longer sit atop the list for most games without a playoff appearance among active players.
That honor will now belong to Texas Rangers outfielder Alex Rios, who has played 1,586 games in the regular season without ever making it to the playoffs, per baseball-reference.com. The all-time mark is held by Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, who logged 2,528 games in a 19-year career that did not include any postseason appearances.
The well-traveled Dunn has now played for five different teams, having joined the Athletics in a trade from the Chicago White Sox at the end of August. At the time, the A's had already begun their well-documented slide, yet still looked like a near-lock to make the playoffs.
Ultimately, it came down to the final day of the season, as the A's sat just one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the final wild-card spot entering Sunday's action. Oakland pulled out a 4-0 win over the Texas Rangers, rendering Seattle's 4-1 victory over the division-champion Los Angeles Angels for naught.
With Dunn not listed in Tuesday's starting lineup versus Royals right-hander James Shields, there's some chance that the 34-year-old DH won't actually play in his first career postseason "appearance."
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