Fiers gets playoff start after being passed over by A's in 2018-19

Mike Fiers has been on the outside looking in for the last few postseasons. That ends Thursday.

The Oakland A's right-hander will start the decisive third game of the team's wild-card series against the Chicago White Sox, according to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fiers didn't get to pitch in either of the A's wild-card games during the last two seasons.

The 35-year-old was also left off the Astros' playoff roster for their 2017 championship run when he was with Houston.

This will mark Fiers' first postseason game since a one-inning appearance in the 2015 ALDS against the Kansas City Royals as a member of the Astros.

Fiers has a lifetime 1.58 ERA against the White Sox but he hasn't faced the current iteration of Chicago's potent lineup. However, while the White Sox can mash with the best of them, they were significantly less successful against right-handed pitching (.749 OPS, 106 wRC+) than they were against lefties (887 OPS, 143 wRC+).

Though Thursday's game is in Oakland, Fiers may not have much of a home-field advantage. He fared better on the road (3.72 ERA) than at home (6.20) in 2020.

The Florida native, who's an impending free agent, went 6-3 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 11 starts this summer.

Fellow right-hander Frankie Montas was also a candidate to start Oakland's series closer. Manager Bob Melvin said Montas will be available out of the bullpen Thursday, per Kawahara.