Oakland A’s closer Domingo Acevedo shuts the door on the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the ninth for the win at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Wed Sep 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s faced the Texas Rangers for the final time in the 2022 season. Still smarting from the walk-off loss to Texas Tuesday night, the A’s turned the tables on the Rangers as Oakland returned from a 7-4 deficit to win 8-7.

For the second night in a row, each team had double-digit hits in the game. Each team homered three times. The only question was who would be the team that would come out on top. The A’s turned out to be the team that would be the winner.

For the second night in a row, the A’s scored first. In the top of the second, first baseman Dermis Garcia blasted his fourth home run. The ball traveled 395 feet over the wall in left field to give Oakland the lead 1-0.

The Rangers tallied four in their half of the second. Rangers’ third baseman, Mark Mathias, who homered twice Tuesday night, homered again leading off the second. It was Mathias’ sixth, and the ball went 415 feet into left-field stands.

With one out, Jonah Heim singled. Sears hit Nick Solak with a pitch to put two men on with one out. Sears stuck out Leody Taveras for the second out. The next hitter was former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien had three doubles Tuesday night.

As a former Oakland Athletic, Marcus loves to torment his former team. Every time he is at the plate, Marcus wants to show what the A’s lost when Oakland let him leave as a free agent after the 2020 season. Semien blasted his 23rd dinger over the fence in left-center field to put the Rangers ahead 4-1.

In the third, the Rangers put another run on the board. Nate Lowe, a very dangerous and hot hitter, doubled. Sears gave up a single to Mark Mathias, and Lowe scored on the play. The Rangers led 5-1.

The A’s rallied to plate three runs in the fifth. With one out, Sean Murphy worked Dane Dunning for a walk. A’s right-fielder Seth Brown homered for the 22nd time to make it a 5-3 game. Back-to-back doubles by Ramon Laureano and Vimael Machin put the A’s down by one 5-4.

The Rangers answered with two runs in their half of the fifth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Collin Wiles to pitch. Adolis Garcia greeted Wiles by blasting a triple. Wiles retired Mathias and Josh Jung for the first two outs. Wiles had to face former A’s catcher Jonah Heim.

Heim went to Texas before the start of the 2021 season in the trade for Elvis Andrus. Heim, like Marcus Semien, loves to beat his former team. Heim hit his 14th big fly of the year to propel the Rangers into a 7-4 advantage. 

The A’s fought back. Oakland put two more runs on the board in the sixth. Nick Allen started the rally with a single. Tony Kemp, playing second base Wednesday night, homered to bring the A’s back to within one. Texas led 7-6. 

If the A’s had any hopes of winning the game, they knew the bullpen had to shut down the powerful Texas offense. Kotsay’s bullpen did the job. Kirby Snead, Tyler Cyr, and Sam Moll kept the Rangers off the board in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Then came the fateful ninth.

In the ninth, Sean Murphy singled to get the rally going. Murphy went to second on Seth Brown’s ground out. Kotsay inserted Sheldon Neuse as a pinch-runner for Murphy. Vimael Machin doubled for the second time to drive in Neuse with the tying run. Machin scored the winning run on Ranger’s shortstop Corey Seager’s fielding error. The A’s led 8-7, with Texas coming up in the bottom half of the inning.

Lefty reliever Sam Moll was on the hill to close out the game. Things did not go well for Oakland to start the ninth. Seager reached on Machin’s error. Nate Lowe reached on a fielder’s choice. Seager was out at second.

Rangers’ skipper Toney Beasley sent in the speedy Bubba Thompson to run for Lowe. Bubba was picked off trying to steal second. The play went 1-3-6. All the A’s need was one more out. Moll walked Adolis Garcia. Kotsay brought in righty Domingo Garcia to face Mark Mathias. Mathias, who had a homer and two RBIs, struck out to end the game. The A’s win 8-7

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 52-91. The Rangers fell to 62-81. The Rangers won the season series eleven games to eight.

The A’s line was eight runs, ten hits, and one error. The line for Texas was seven runs, ten hits, and one error.

J.P.Sears had a second consecutive tough outing. Sears went four innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. He walked one, stuck out three, and allowed two home runs. Sears threw 80 pitches. Collin Wils worked one and 1/3rd inning. Willes allowed three hits and two runs. One of the hits was a gopher ball. Snead, Cyr, Moll, and acevedo did not allow a hit or a run.

The A’s travel to Houston to start a four-game series with the Houston Astros starting Thursday night. James Kaprielian (3-9, 4.79) will go for Oakland. Houston will counter with Lance McCullers, Jr. (3-1, 2.20) first pitch 4:20 pm PDT.