Oakland A’s Frank Schwindel thanks the heavens after hitting a two run homer against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the second inning at the Oakland RingCentral Coliseum on Wed Jun 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

Texas 1 – 7 – 1

Oakland 3. -5 – 0

By Lewis Rubman

Wednesday June 30, 2021

OAKLAND–At 6:40 Wednesday evening, Frank Schwindel made baseball history. He was listed on the line up card for the A’s when Chris Bassitt threw his first pitch in anger for the home team in tonight’s contest against the Texas Rangers. The right handed first baseman and catcher, who also can play in the outfield, was added to the roster yesterday (his 29th birthday).

When home plate umpire DJ Reyburn shouted “Play,” Schwindel became the 2,000th player in the history of the Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland Athletics franchise. He’d been tearing up the PCL, where his 16 home runs were tied for first in all of minor league baseball. He also was tied for the top spot in the league in hits and runs batted in. The A’s game notes provided a glimpse of his 2021 record for Las Vegas.

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO OBP SLUG .324 44 185 42 60 11 0 16 41 13 34 .369 . 643

Schwindel was Oakland’s starting designated hitter. He first came to the plate with the A’s ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second. That run had just been scored against Texas southpaw Kolby Allard (2-3, 3.33) on a walk to Chapman, a single by Pinder, Lowrie’s foul out to right that allowed Chapman to take third, and Sean Murphy’s sac fly to right.

The rookie took Allard’s initial offering for a ball and then laced into a 91 mph four seamer that ended up 395 away in the left field upper deck seats. The Rangers, laboring under the misapprehension that the ball had left playing field in foul territory appealed the call, but it was upheld on review after about 40 seconds. Schwindel ended up going one for two for the game.

The A’s ended up winning, 3-1. Bassitt, who brought an 8-3, 3.25 mark to the mound, was trying to slow the 47-34 Athletics’ slide towards .500, now had been staked to a three run lead. His rival hurler, Allard, kept the A’s from building on that advantage, holding them to two hits, both singles, after Schwindel’s blast.

His final line was six innings pitched, three runs, all earned, on four hits and a walk. He threw 91 pitches, 61 for strikes, before exiting after the sixth and yielding the mound duties to Josh Sborz, who retired the A’s in order in the seventh and then left the game in favor of Taylor Hearn, who blanked Oakland for an inning in spite of a single to Andrus, who advanced to second on left fielder White’s error and stole third.

Bassitt held on to that lead, leaving after seven innings, in which he blanked the Metroplex Maulers on three hits and one base on balls. He struck out seven and threw 102 pitches, 61 of which were considered strikes. He was credited with the win. Bassitt’s successor,Yusmeiro Petit, allowed only a two out single in the eighth and gave way to Lou Trivino in his role as closer.

Joey Gallo spoiled what had been a near perfect evening for the home town guys. He took Trivino deep with one out in the ninth, sending a hanging curve into the right center field seats. Nate Lowe kept the Rangers’ hopes alive by singling to center, bringing up Eli White, representing the potential tying run.

White sent a grounder to short, and Lowe beat Andrus’s throw to Kemp, who had replaced Lowrie at second and made a brilliant grab of Hold’s line drive to end the eighth. The A’s appealled the safe call on Lowe, but it was, quite rightly, upheld. Heim, the ex-Athletic, now had the chance to turn the game upside down, but he took a 95 mph four seam fast ball for called strike three. Then Nick Solak Skyed out to Bolt, and the A’s had evened the series.

Positives for Oakland: Schwindel’s debut; Bassitt’s brilliance; Petiit’s return to form. Negatives for Oakland: Trivino’s rocky ninth; the offensive hitting a stone wall after the second; Chapman’s hitting streak being stopped at 16.

Sean Manaea (6-4, 2.91) will toe the rubber tomorrow, Thursday, afternoon at 12:37. He’ll be facing Dane Dunning (3-6, 4.63).