Oakland A’s Shea Langeliers gets the Gatorade treatment while interviewing on the Oakland Coliseum PA system talking about his walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth run against the Seattle Mariners On Mon Sep 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Seattle (69-69). 201 001 000. 4 6 0

Athletics (60-78) 004 000 001. 5 5 0

Time: 2:40

Attendance: 12,167

Monday, September 2, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–It was a clear 73 degrees in Oakland when the famous disappearing act scheduled to open any year now in Las Vegas after a two or three year out of town opening in Sacramento took the field against the Seattle Mariners at 4:07 this Labor Day afternoon.

Two hours and 40 minutes later, the stadium lights still were on but the sun still was out, and the A’s had won, 5-4, on a stunning lead off, walk off home run by Sean Langeiers that landed just inside the left field pole, 418 feet deep. It came off a 79mph sweeper from Austin Voth.

The Mariners had sailed off to an early lead on Cal Raleigh’s 382 foot home run a third of the way up the staircase behind the A’s Community Fund sign to the right of the 367 foot sign in right field. JP Crawford, who had walked to open the game, was on first, so the A’s were in the Mariners’ wake, 2-0, before their first at bat. Two frames later, the M’s put another run on the board, Victor Robles defeated The Curse of the Leadoff double by stealing third and scoring on Julio Rodríguez’s sacrifice fly to left.

That three run lead in the third evaporated before the ending had ended. Lawrence Butler smacked a two out double to right center. Brent Rooker followed with a drive down the left field line for another two bagger, driving in Butler. Bleday worked a walk, and Langeliers launched his first long ball of the contest, his 24th of ’24, a 400 foot drive off an 89 mph Logan Gibert slider that gave the A’s a 4-3 lead.

Seattle knotted things up in the top of the sixth. With A’s starter Osvaldo Bido still on the mound, Julio Rodríguez began the frame with a single to right and promptly stole second. He stayed put when Raleigh grounded out to third but moved on to third when Randy Arozarena bounced out to second and crossed the plate on Justin Turner’s single to left.

The M’s almost took the lead in their half of the eighth. Michel Otáñez, who was pitching for the A’s, issued back to back one out walks to Justin Turner and Jorge Polano. At this point, Leo Rivas entered the game to pinch run for Turner at second.

Pinch hitter Dylan Moore went down swinging and Rivas was called out attempting to steal third. That would have ended the threat, but the relay crew in New York thought otherwise and overturned the call. Otáñez then bore down and caught Mitch Haniger, who had pinch hit for Josh Rojas two innings earlier, looking at a called strike three.

That set the scene for Langeliers’ dramatic walkoff in the bottom of the ninth.

The Athletics used five pitchers in their pursuit of the win. Osvaldo Bido went 5-1/3 innings and faced 23 batters, who reached him for four runs, all earned, on six hits, one of which went yard, and a walk. 31 of his 91 offerings were balls.

The no decision left him at 5-3, 3.52. The other four hurlers held the M’s scoreless over the remaining 3-2/3 frames. TJ McFarland allowed the Mariners a walk to close out the top of the sixth. Grant Holman struck out two and walked one in the seventh.

Otáñez struck out two and walked an equal number in the hairy eighth, and Tyler Ferugson garnered his third win against two losses by fanning all three batters he faced in the visitors’ half of the ninth.

Seattle used four moundsmen in their losing cause. Logan Gilbert allowed four runs, earned, on four hits in his six inning stint. He struck out nine and granted one free pass, throwing 95 pitches, 61 of which counted as strikes, ending the day at 7-10, 3.19).

JT Chargois and Collin Snider each faced the Athletics for an inning. Neither gave up a hit. The former fanned two; the latter, one, and also issued a walk. All you need to know about Austin Voth’s brief appearance is in the first paragraph of this report.

Justin Gray, picked up off waivers from the Marlins, made his major league debut today. He went 0 for 3 and made a pair of snazzy plays at third base.

The A’s goTuesday, at 6:40 with JT Ginn(0-0, 5.19) against Seattle’s Luis Castillo (11-12,3.65) in the second of this four game series.

A’S COME BACK TO SCORE. HR 400′ 89mph slider