Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (25) is greeted at the plate after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of the third by teammates Abraham Toro(31) and Tyler Nevin (26) against the visiting Miami Marlins at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Troy Ewers

Oakland A’s Brent Rooker slugged two home run in the third inning during a 10 run rout of the Miami Marlins for a 20-4 win at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday on Star Wars day. The game delayed three hours and 30 minutes by windy and rainy conditions. The game was supposed to have started at 1:07 but got underway at 4:30pm.

It didn’t matter much as the A’s were ready to swing the bats at the visiting Marlins expense. Rooker who hit the two home runs in the third inning became the first A’s player in 30 years to do it. Rooker took Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers deep with a two run home run and later in the inning Marlins pitcher Darren McCaughan coughed up a three run homer to Rooker.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay said that Rooker delivered last season that’s why he was the A’s team representative at the 2023 All Star game. Kotsay said that Rooker got hot and capitalized on mistakes and he wound up hitting a couple of them today.

The A’s reached a season high in runs with 20 and hits with 21. They simply just teed off on Marlins starter Rogers 2.1 innings, eight hits and three runs, then McCaughan 4.2 innings, nine hits and eight earned runs, and Emmanuel Rivera one inning pitched four runs and four hits.

Rooker was seeing the ball as big as maybe a softball added a base hit for good measure in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rooker became the 60th player in big league history to hit two home runs in the same inning. The last player to do it was the Philadelphia Phillies Trea Turner and the last A’s player to hit a pair in the same inning was former first baseman Mark McGwire when he did it against the Seattle Mariners on Sep 22, 1996.

“I grew up in Memphis a big (St. Louis) Cardinals fan so he was kind of one of the first players I remember watching during his time there,” Rooker said. “Being able to do anything the same as him is a huge accomplishment and something that’s really cool for me.” Rooker also wears McGwire’s old number 25.

Post game notes: The Marlins and A’s go at it again Sunday at 1:07pm PDT to conclude the three game series. The A’s are looking for their seventh straight win and second series sweep in a row. The Marlins who came to Oakland after sweeping the Colorado Rockies are looking to get back in the win column after dropping the first two games of the series. Starting pitcher for the Marlins on Sunday RHP Sixto Sanchez (0-1 ERA 8.36) and for the A’s RHP Joe Boyle (2-4 ERA 6.08).

Former Marlins lead off hitter Luis Arraez who was traded to the San Diego Padres on Friday night for three minor leaguers and one big league reliever got off to a quick start going 4-6 which included two runs and an RBI against the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim Stadium on Saturday. The Arraez trade must have had an impact on the Marlins he was traded just before Friday’s game as he was scheduled to lead off. The shock must have impacted the Marlins who lost 3-1 and then on Saturday night getting crushed 20-4.

Troy Ewers is a beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com