Everyone loves a feel good story. Baseball fans were able to witness that front and center on Tuesday night in Kansas City. The Royals, who hadn't appeared in the post season since 1985, beat the Oakland A's in an absolutely thrilling game by a final of 9-8 in extra innings. 

Since the new Wild Card format was introduced, it has produced a handful of noteworthy games, but none compared to last night. As great as it is for the city and fans of Kansas City, the A's don't have it as easy. They have it rough, to be exact.

The A's, who are most recognized by the unique style in which they are managed and run by general manager Billy Beane, have undoubtedly struggled for some time now. What's intriguing about their failure is that they always seem to exceed expectations in the regular season, but face plant in the playoffs. Since 1990, the Oakland A's have lost 9 out of 10 playoff series. In elimination games, the A's are 0-7. What's the catch?

No one knows, really. The A's are a unique franchise. They have been able to capitalize on their own style which basically stems around good pitching and having players who are willing to take more walks than strikeouts. They believe in on base percentage rather than the constant need for getting base hits all the time. A simple formula? Not really, it's backfired on them in the playoffs, when it counts.

The "oh so famous" general manager Billy Beane made a bold statement this season when he went "all in" for starting pitching. On July 5th he surprised everyone when he traded for Chicago Cubs starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, while giving up top prospect Addison Russell and pitcher Dan Straily among a few other minor leaguers. 

On July 31st he made another jaw dropping trade, jumping in to snatch ace Jon Lester and outfielder Johnny Gomes from the Red Sox for Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a draft pick in 2015. As the saying goes, the A's were all in. With a starting rotation consisting of Lester, Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, Sonny Gray and Jason Hammel, their destiny seemed sealed. 

As it has come to be, that wasn't the case. While both acquisitions proved their worth for the most part, the A's struggled heavily to score runs. Without Cespedes, they constantly lacked home run power and run scoring ability. The A's record combined in April, May, June and July was an impressive 66-40. In August and September though, their record was 22-33. A major difference.

The future of the Oakland A's is very much up in the air. They looked lost and less than mediocre in the final half of the season, but were dominant early on. Whether or not the Lester trade set them back will be up for debate, but it's clear they lacked something offensively. The system they pride themselves on, failed. Whether or not the A's make drastic changes remains to be seen. Could Billy Beane lose his job? It's not out of the question considering many thought this would be their year. There is a difference, however. The A's struggled late and lost in a Wild Card game. They weren't superior all year and then went on to lose in a divisional series. That could be a difference maker.

Oakland's fans have been in for a rough go for a while, despite their success during the season. The time for change could finally come, but no one knows for sure if it will make a difference.