of the 2012 season but was demoted after a few blown saves to the role of setup man. In early August, Balfour regained the closer role from Ryan Cook. Balfour went 3–2 in 75 appearances with 24 saves in innings pitched in 2012. On 29 October, the Athletics decided to exercise their option for Balfour worth $4.5M. On 8 July 2013, Balfour set the record for most consecutive saves for the Athletics, earning his 41st in a 2–1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected later in the month as a replacement All-Star pitcher for teammate Bartolo Colón. In 65 appearances, Balfour finished the year 38–41 in save opportunities, going 1–3 with a 2.59 ERA as the team's closer, striking out 72 in 62.2 innings with a .206 OBA. He pitched three scoreless innings in the ALDS against the Tigers, getting one win and one save. In Game 3 of the 2013 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, Balfour began cursing at Victor Martinez, who then answered back, leading to both benches clearing. Balfour claimed that Martinez gave him a "viral death stare" prior to exchanging words as he composed it on Twitter. The A's would go on to win the game 6-3 but lost the series in 5 games. Second stint with the Tampa Bay Rays On 17 December 2013, it was reported that Balfour had come to an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles on a two-year, $15 million deal. However, on 19 December 2013, it was revealed that the deal was in serious jeopardy as a result of issues that came up during his physical. On 20 December, the Orioles announced that they would not be signing him and that they would look elsewhere for relief help. Balfour responded that he was perfectly healthy and other doctors who examined him disputed the Orioles interpretation of his physical results. He said he would consider filing a grievance with the players association. Balfour subsequently agreed to a two-year contract with the Rays, worth $12 million. After starting the 2014 season with a 6.46 ERA in 24 games, Balfour was removed from the closer role on 9 June 2014. He was designated for assignment by the Rays on 18 April 2015, and released on 29 April. Several days after the team released him, Balfour signed a minor league deal back with the Rays. While pitching with Triple-A Durham, Balfour held a