Tag: Baseball

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Ex-Athletics player elected to Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

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Photo credit: @theScore

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — Although Hideki Matsui played most of his Major League career with the New York Yankees, he also made a brief stop in the Bay Area for the Oakland Athletics. His name was on the ballot for this 2018 MLB Hall of Fame election. He will not make it to Cooperstown, New York, but at least he is in the Hall of Fame of his native Japan. He was recently inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Also known as “Godzilla,” Matsui is a legend in Japan. He won the People’s Honor Award, three Central League MVPs, and was an All-Star in nine of his 10 seasons. His most memorable award in the major leagues was in 2009 as he won the MVP in the World Series. He became the first and only Japanese-born player to win this award, and he did it with sensational numbers. As a designated hitter during the 2009 World Series, he hit .610 with three home runs and eight runs batted in.
The most impact a DH had on a World Series game came in the Game 6 of the 2009 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Yankees’ DH, Hideki Matsui, contributed to six of the seven runs his team had in the game. Matsui batted .600, the highest average for a DH in a World Series, and was also the first DH to win the World Series MVP Award.
Hideki Matsui played for 10 years from 2003 to 2012 with the Yankees, Angels, Athletics and Rays. In 2011 with the A’s, he played in 141 games and hit  .251 with 12 home runs and 72 runs batted in. During his Major League career, he finished with a respectable .282 average 175 home runs and 760 RBI.
In Japan, Matsui was one of the most popular players ever. Extremely marketable, his face appeared in tea cups and even on the fuselage of a 747 plane. During his brilliant Hall of Fame career in Japan, he compiled a .309 batting average, 332 home runs and 889 RBI in a total of 1,268 games played.

There are some among the United States baseball media members that said while he was playing in the states, he was the first Japanese player to reach 500 home runs, which was correct.

However, there is one caveat, you have to add the 332 home runs in Japan to the 175 here in the big leagues, to reach that number. Many also had similar combined numbers when it came to hits for another great Japanese player, Ichiro Suzuki, who will be someday the first ever Japanese player inducted to Cooperstown.

One interesting note about these two players: While Matsui was popular in Japan and in the U.S., Suzuki is not as popular. It has to do with two totally different personalities. Not to take anything away from Suzuki, who is the best Japan-born player that I have seen here in the major leagues, but he was never as well-liked in Japan as Matsui. That is what my Japanese colleagues have told me for years.

In the 2011 season that Hideki Matsui played for the A’s, he was well-liked by his teammates, fans and media members in the Bay Area. He was a soft-spoken young man with a strong presence along with excellent professionalism and skills.
Congratulations to Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui!

The A’s start the road trip with a win, beat the Yankees 3-2.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s hitter Josh Reddick splinters the bat to fly out while New York Yankee catcher Brian McCann is behind the plate

NEW YORK–The Oakland A’s received a terrific performance from lefty Eric Surkamp Wednesday night in New York. Surkamp did not get out of the fifth inning in his first two starts with Oakland. He managed to work into the sixth but did not get the decision. His opponent, Michael Pineda also gave up two runs and did not have a decision, either.The A’s bullpen was terrific as was the Yankee’s. However, the A’s was better as the A’s won 3-2. The Yankees used Chasen Shreve, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Johnny Barbato. Barbato gave up the winning run to the A’s in the eleventh. The A’s bullpen kept the Yanks off the board to secure the win. The A’s improved to 7-7 and the Yankees fell to 5-7.

The Yankees put one on the board in the bottom of the first. Surkamp retired the first two batters he faced. The third hitter, the veteran Carlos Beltran, doubled to left. Surkamp walked Mark Teixeira to put men on at first and second. The designated hitter, Alex Rodriguez hit a single to left to drive in Beltran with the first run of the game. The pitch was right over the middle of the plate, and A-Rod did not miss. Surkamp struck out catcher Brian McCann to end the inning. Surkamp threw twenty-four pitches in the frame.

In the top of the second, the A’s tied the game at one. Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso singled to put runners on at first and second. Marcus Semien, swinging on a 3-0 pitch, singled to left to drive in Lowrie with the tying run.

The Yankees regained the lead in their half of the fifth inning. Shortstop Didi Gregorius led off with a single. The A’s got Gregorius in a rundown as he took off on a 3-2 count to avoid a double play. Gregorius appeared to make it back to first safely, but, he was ruled out as he ran out of the basepath. Brett Gardner walked on the next pitch. Starlin Castro doubled to left. Gardner stopped at third and then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carlos Beltran. Yankees lead 2-1 after five.

The A’s  answered in the top of sixth. Danny Valencia, leading off, tripled into the gap in left-centerfield. Brett Gardner got his glove on the ball but couldn’t make the catch. The Yankees brought the infield in to cut off the run at home. Stephen Vogt struck out. With the infield still drawn in, Jed Lowrie singled to right to drive in Valencia with the A’s second run of the game.

There was no more scoring in regulation, and the game went to extra innings. The A’s broke through in the eleventh to win the game. Jed Lowrie doubled with one out. Khris Davis grounded out, and that allowed Lowrie to advance to third. Mark Canha singled past Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius to drive in Lowrie with the winning run. The A’s win the first game of the three-game series 3-2.

Game Notes- Eric Surkamp, who did not get a decision, pitched very well Tuesday night. He went five and 2/3rd innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. He threw a career-high ninety-nine pitches. Marc Rzepczynski retired one batter to close out the sixth. The bullpen allowed just one hit in 5 1/3rd innings of work.John Axford retired the side in order in the seventh. Sean Doolittle did the same in the eighth. Fernando Rodriguez pitched the ninth and tenth. He allowed just one hit in the ninth and set the Yanks down in order in the tenth.Ryan Madsen closed out the game for the A’s as he put the Yanks down 1-2-3 in the eleventh. Rodriguez received credit for the win and Madson the save.

Jed Lowrie was the hitting star for Oakland. He had three singles and a double. He scored one run and drove in another.

There was a celebrity sighting at the game Tuesday night. Larry David, creator of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was in the front row in back of home plate. David played the voice of George Steinbrenner in the Seinfeld series.

Game two will be played in New York Wednesday night at 4:05 pm PT.Kendall Graveman will go for Oakland, and Nathan Eovaldi will be on the hill for New York.

Time of game was three hours and thirty minutes, and 31,952 watched the A’s beat the Yankees.

Oakland A’s Thursday game wrap: The White Sox beat the A’s again, win the series three games to one.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for chicago white sox

photo courtesy of Google images

front page photo AP: The Chicago White Sox Jose Abreu hit a sixth inning home run off Oakland A’s starter Kendall Graveman is congratulated by teammates Todd Fraiser (21) and Melky Cabrera (53)

OAKLAND–The Chicago White Sox beat the A’s 6-1 Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. A’s starter, Kendall Graveman, and Chisox starter, Mat Latos, engaged in an old-fashioned pitching duel for the first five innings of the game.  Graveman gave up just two hits in the first five innings. Graveman faced three batters in the sixth. He walked Melky Cabrera and then gave up a home run to Jose Abreu. Graveman retired Todd Frazier, but the damage had been done. The White Sox would score four in the ninth, but all they needed was two to win the game. The A’s bullpen pitched well until the ninth. Bob Melvin brought in Liam Hendricks for the ninth, but he was no match for the Sox today. After the game, Melvin said he did not want to use Axford, Madson, or Doolittle. Chicago’s Mat Latos was superb. He pitched six innings and allowed just two hits as he picked up his first win of the year.

In the top of the sixth, the White Sox scored the first two runs of the game. Chicago DH, Melky Cabrera led off with a single. The next batter, Jose Abreu, sent a Kendall Graveman pitch over the out-of-town scoreboard in right field for his first home run of the year. A’s manager Bob Melvin let Graveman pitch to one more hitter before replacing him with Fernando Rodriguez.

The A’s bullpen kept the Chisox in check until the ninth inning. A’s reliever Liam Hendricks did not have a good outing as the Sox sent nine men to the plate. They scored four times on six singles. All the runs were earned, and they hold a commanding 6-0 lead as the A’s come to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s scored a run in the ninth as they avoided being shut out. White Sox win 6-1 and take the series three games to one.

Game Notes- The A’s used five pitchers in the loss to Chicago. Relievers Fernando Rodriguez, Marc Rzepczynski and Ryan Dull, pitched well and kept the A’s in the game until the ninth inning.

The A’s finished the opening homestand 1-3. The last time they started a season 1-3 was 2012. A’s utility man, Chris Coghlan started the game at second base and had two hits and a run batted in. The A’s defense was a bit wobbly as they made two errors. However, neither of the errors caused them any damage.

The A’s travel to Seattle to face the Mariners. Lefty Eric Surkamp will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by right Taijuan Walker. Pitching matchups for Saturday will be Rich Hill for Oakland and Nathan Karns for Seattle. On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will make his second start of the year, and King Felix Hernandez will be hurling fo the Mariners. The A’s return home after the Seattle series to face another division rival, the Los Angeles Angels.

There were 12,577 fans watching the game Thursday afternoon, and the game lasted three hours and six minutes.

Oakland A’s Wednesday post game wrap: The A’s play another one-run game, this time they win.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Oakland A’s Billy Burns trots across home plate in the first inning to put the A’s on the board past Chicago White Sox  catcher Dioner Navarro

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s and Chicago White Sox played their third consecutive one-run game. This time, however, the A’s won 2-1 behind a strong effort by Sonny Gray. Gray, who was not able to pitch Monday or Tuesday, went seven innings, allowed just three hits and received credit for his first win of the year. The A’s bullpen did their job again; John Axford pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Ryan Madson closed out the game to earn his first save as a member of the A’s. Jed Lowrie drove in a run in the first and Mark Canha homered in the second to give the A’s all the runs they would need.The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Singles by Billy Burns and Khris Davis put men on at first and third with no out. The A’s leading RBI man, Jed Lowrie, hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Burns. Lowrie has knocked in five of the eight runs the A’s have scored so far this season. Carlos Rodon took the loss for the White Sox.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Singles by Billy Burns and Khris Davis put men on at first and third with no out. The A’s leading RBI man, Jed Lowrie, hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Burns. Lowrie has knocked in five of the eight runs the A’s have scored so far this season.

The A’s scored again in the second inning. Big Mark Canha, playing right field in place of Josh Reddick, hit his first home run, and the A’s first home run, of te season. With one out, Canha hit a big fly to deep right field that hit the wall just over the scoreboard. A’s lead 2-0.

The White Sox scored their first run of the game in the top of the third. Center fielder Austin Jackson led off with a double. He advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on a sacrifice fly to short left field.

There was no more scoring after the third inning. Carlos Rodon pitched well for Chicago, but Sonny Gray pitched better for Oakland as the A’s won their first game of the year 2-1.

Game notes- The line score for Oakland was two runs on seven hits and no errors. The White Sox line was one run, six hits, and no errors.

After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin was pleased with his team’s efforts Wednesday night. He took Gray out after seven innings of work. He remarked that “after Sonny had got the first out, he was dragging, and that was going to be the last inning” of work. When talking about the bullpen, Melvin said that his guys ” aren’t afraid to pitch with guys on base. He also said that John Axford was ” really good about being quicker to the plate and was very effective.” Sean Doolittle was not available to pitch, and Melvin elected to bring in Ryan Madsen to close out the game. Melvin, when asked about the stellar defensive effort and particularly the play of Marcus Semien had this to say. Semien’s play “was about as good as we have seen him play.”

The A’s conclude the four-game series with the White Sox Thursday afternoon. Game time will be 12:35 PM PT. Kendall Graveman will start for Oakland, and they will face the well-travelled Mat Latos. Latos will be making his first start as a member of the White Sox.

The Golden State Warriors’ Festus Ezeli was in the crowd, and he received a nice ovation from the fans. Former A’s pitcher, Dallas Braden, was here to broadcast the game on ESPN and visited with the fans in right field beating on a drum to get a little excitement going.

Attendance was 16,468 and time of game was two hours and fifty-four minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oakland A’s Tuesday game wrap:The White Sox beat the A’s again, win second one-run game to start the season

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit San Francisco Chronicle: The Chicago White Sox Jimmy Rollins crosses home plate after hitting a ninth inning homer off A’s reliever Sean Doolittle

OAKLAND–The A’s were hoping to even the series with the Chicago White Sox at one-apiece Tuesday night. The A’s found themselves down by two runs late in the game but rallied in the eighth to tie the game. The White Sox behind a home run by Jimmy Rollins in the ninth defeated the A’s 5-4 to win their second one-run game in a row. The A’s were led by Jed Lowrie’s two clutch hits that drove in two runs and by Yonder Alonso’s key hit, with two out in the eighth to drive in two and tie the game. A’s closer Sean Doolittle gave up the home run to Rollins. After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Doolittle had his pitches working, but Rollins just beat him. The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third. A’s catcher, Josh Phegley, beat the shift by hitting the ball into right field for a single. Phegley advanced to second on a ball in the dirt. Shortstop Marcus Semien singled sharply to center, and Phegley had to stop at third. After Coco Crisp struck out, Jed Lowrie singled on the first pitch from Quintana to drive in Phegley with the run.

The White Sox scored three runs on two hits in the top of the fifth. Chisox right fielder Adam Eaton singled with one out. The next hitter, Jimmy Rollins, hit a slow ground ball to second. Jed Lowrie attempted to get Eaton at second, but Eaton beat the throw and Rollins reached on a fielder’s choice. Bassitt struck out Jose Abreu for the second out. Bassitt had Todd Frazier in a 0-2 count, but Frazier sent his next pitch over the left-field wall for his first home run of the year and first as a member of the White Sox. Sox have a 3-1 lead in the middle of the fifth. The A’s rallied as they picked up a run on three hits to narrow the gap to just one run. Josh Phegley led off the inning with a double. Marcus Semien had an infield single, but Phegley could not advance. Coco Crisp flew out to right field. Phegley tagged and advanced to third. Jed Lowrie singled to drive in Phegley with the A’s second run of the night. Chisox in the lead 3-2 after five innings.

The White Sox regained the two-run margin in the top of the sixth. With one out, former Athletic, Brett Lawrie singled to get it going for Chicago. Alex Avila singled to advance Lawrie to third. Lawrie scored on an Austin Jackson single. Adam Eaton singled to load the bases. Liam Hendricks, the third pitcher of the inning, got Jimmy Rollins to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. A’s trail the White Sox 4-2.

The A’s rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Josh Reddick led off with a single. Danny Valencia hit a line shot but right to the center fielder for the out. Khris Davis was hit by a pitch. Billy Butler also hit a sharp line drive, but it was, again, right at the center fielder. The A’s loaded the bases when Vogt was hit by a pitch. A’s first baseman, Yonder Alonso, singled for his first hit as a member of the A’s to drive in Reddick and Davis. Tie score after eight.

In the top of the ninth, Chisox shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, sent a Sean Doolittle pitch over the left field wall to give the White Sox a 5-4 lead in the middle of the ninth. For Rollins, it was his first home run of the year and his first in the American League. Whites Sox closer, David Robertson, retired the A’s in order in the ninth to secure the win for Chicago. White Sox win 5-4.

Game Notes- The A’s start the season 0-2 for the fourth time in the last ten years. Sean Doolittle took the loss and White Sox reliever Nate Jones picked up the win.

Game three of the four-game series will be played Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum A’s ace, Sonny Gray, will make his first start of the year and Carlos Rodon will handle the chores for Chicago. Game time is at 7:05 pm PT

Attendance for Tuesday night’s game was 10,478 and time of game was 3 hours and twenty-eight minutes.

 

 

The Oakland A’s lose the season opener to the Chicago White Sox

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The White Sox Chris Sale takes aim at the Oakland A’s pitching seven innings and getting the win Monday night

There is nothing better than opening night to start the baseball season. It would be better if the home team would win. That, however, did not happen as the Chicago White Sox beat the A’s 4-3. As usual, the game was sold out, and the 35,067 were hoping the A’s would rally to win the game.

All the scoring came in the third inning. The White Sox sent nine men to the plate and scored four times in their half, and the A’s came back in the bottom of the inning, sent eight men to the plate and scored three times.  The game summary follows below.

The White Sox sent nine men to the plate in the top of the third. They scored four runs on four hits and the A’s committed two errors to help the Sox score the runs. Left Rich Hill pitched well for the first two innings, but the roof caved in on him in the third. After he struck out Dioner Navarro, He walked Austin Jackson. Hill, attempting to keep Jackson close, at first, threw the ball into foul territory down the right field line. Jackson advanced to third on the play. Adam Eaton tripled to drive in Jackson with the first run of the game. Jimmy Rollins singled to drive in Eaton. Jose Abreu doubled to put men on at second and third with one out. Hill struck out the pride of Toms River, New Jersey, Todd Frazier for the second out. Melky Cabrera then hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by Marcus Semien. Semien threw to first but A’s first baseman, Mark Canha, dropped the ball for  an error. Rollins and Abreu scored on the play. White Sox lead 4-0 in the middle of the third. The A’s scored three times in their half of the third. Catcher Stephen Vogt got the rally rolling as he beat out a hit to second. Chris Sale walked Marcus Semien to put men on at first and second with one out. Billy Burns grounded to advance the runners. Jed Lowrie singled to right to drive in Vogt and Semien. Josh Reddick singled up the middle to drive in Lowrie with the third run.  A’s trail 4-3 after three.

There was no more scoring after the third inning. Chris Sale went seven innings and picked up his first win of the year. The White Sox used four pitchers to shut down the A’s in the eighth and ninth innings. The A’s used five relievers. They included Fernando Rodriguez, Ryan Dull, John Axford Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. The bullpen did their job going six innings and held the White Sox from scoring.  The A’s had a couple of men in scoring position after the third but couldn’t get the key hit needed to get the run in to tie the game. Chicago wins 4-3.

Game Notes- Joe Stiglich of CSNBA report this about A’s pitcher Felix Doubront. Doubront left the exhibition game Saturday after the first inning with pain in his pitching arm.

‘The news doesn’t appear good for the fifth starter Felix Doubront. After leaving Saturday’s exhibition with what was described as forearm tightness, Paparesta said an MRI showed Doubront has some“fibrous tearing” in his ulnar collateral ligament along with a muscle strain. Doubront is headed to Cincinnati next Monday for a second opinion, but any damage to the ligament indicates that Tommy John surgery is a possibility.”

A’s ace Sonny Gray was supposed to start Monday night but was ill due to food poisoning. Gray may pitch Tuesday if he is feeling better.

Before the start of the game, it should be noted that the Opening game ceremonies honored the memories of  Dave Henderson and Tony Phillips. Both men played on the 1989 World Championship team, and both were in their 50s at the time of their passing. The ceremonies included the introduction of the players, coaches, manager, trainers and other members of the staff of both teams. Following the singing of the National Anthem, the fans enjoyed the flyover by a military plane.

The A’s have lost 11 of their last 12 Opening Day games. Rich Hill made his first Opening Day start.

The A’s meet the White Sox Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. Lefty Jose Quintana will pitch for the Sox and he will be opposed by a pitcher to be named later.

 

The A’s are in Seattle for the last three games of the year.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s end their dismal season against the almost equal underperforming Seattle Mariners. The A’s made a lot of moves after the 2014 season. They added young pitching and received some position players in the trades with the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres. The A’s also made controversial trades during the 2014 season, too. They sent Yoenis Cespedes to Boston for Jon Lester. They sent prized shortstop prospect, Addison Russell, to the Chicago Cubs for Samarzidja and Hammels. The A’s barely made it to the playoff and were eliminated by the Kansas City Royals. The A’s hoped the moves would work. However, they had a terrible season. The A’s starting pitching rotation suffered a lot of injuries. Graveman, Hahn, Chavez, Bassitt all spent time on the disabled list Closer Sean Doolittle, a former All-Star, missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. Evan Scribner and Drew Pomeranz are also on the Disabled list. The A’s used thirty pitchers in 2015, a new club record. The bullpen was a disaster.They blew a ton of saves and just couldn’t get anyone out.

The Mariners also had high hopes for the season. The Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik made some moves after the 2014 season to help the offense. The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz as a free agent from the Orioles. Cruz hit 40 homers in 2014 and has surpassed that total this year. Zduriencik increased the Mariners payroll. Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Felix Hernandez, Kyle Seager and Seth Smith add up to 80 million dollars. Many of the baseball “insiders” picked the Mariners to win the AL West. The Mariners felt they had a strong rotation with Hernandez, Tijuan Walker, James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma. Unfortunately for Seattle, Iwakuma and Paxton were both injured. Iwakuma made just nineteen starts. His record is 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA. The lefty Paxton is on the DL and posted a 3-4 win-loss record but had a decent 3.90 ERA. The Mariners bullpen also suffered injuries. Mike Montgomery had sixteen saves in sixteen opportunities, but he is on the DL. Reliever Danny Farquhar joined him on the DL. The closer’s role was handled by Carson Smith with thirteen saves and Tom Wilhelmsen, who appeared in 51 games and recorded twelve saves.

The Mariner offense was sluggish all year. Zduriencik made a trade with the Arizona D-Backs and brought in Mark Trumbo to help with the offense. The Mariners could not get it going all season. On August 28th, the Mariners relieved him of his duties and just announced the hiring of Jerry DiPoto as the new  GM this past Monday.

The Mariners also announce that their ace, Felix Hernandez is done for the year. Hernandez’ record is 18-9 with a 3.53 ERA. The A’s are not unhappy about him not being available to pitch against them this weekend. Mariner manager Lloyd McClendon said this about Hernandez “Felix has given me his heart and soul this year, and I don’t want to stress him anymore than I have to. This is the right thing to do. Felix is, I’m sure, not happy about this.”

Let’s take a look at what’s at stake this weekend. For both the A’s and Mariners, the games are meaningless. The Mariners are going to finish in fourth place in the AL West and the A’s are will finish last.  The players on both teams, however, will not go through the motions even with nothing on the line. The players want to show the manager, coaches and General Managers of the respective teams that they are valuable and should be included in the teams plans for 2016. The A’s have not done well against the Mariners this year as they have lost twelve of the sixteen games played. They would like to send a message to Seattle that they are not patsies and to be on the lookout for them in 2016.

However, with Billy Beane running the show in Oakland, no one on the roster is safe with the exception of Sonny Gray. On the other hand, Jerry DiPoto will be scrutinizing his 40 man roster and may be moving players, too.

The pitching matchups have been announced. For the Mariners, Hisashi Iwakuma pitches Friday night, Vidal Nuno (1-5,3.80 ERA in nine starts) on Saturday and Roenis Elias(5-8 3.39 ERA)  on Sunday. The A’s counter with Aaron Brooks(2-4) on Friday, left Sean Nolin on Saturday and a pitcher to be named later on Sunday. That’s it for 2015. Neither team will be in the playoffs and rebuilding appears to be in both teams immediate future. Stay tuned, fans.

The A’s rally, then hold on to beat the Angels

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for Barry Zito

The A’s beat the Angels Wednesday night by a score of 8-7. The game had a lot of intrigues. First of all, Barry Zito started for Oakland in what was probably the final game of his career. Barry played seven seasons for the A’s and seven seasons for the San Francisco Giants. He won the Cy Young award in 2002 and won two championship rings with the Giants in 2010 and 2012. He was the epitome of a professional. Barry had a rough year in 2010 and was not included on the World Series roster that year. He never complained. Two years later, he came through big time for the Giants and helped them to their second title.Barry did not pitch in 2014 but in 2015 he attempted to join the A’s. The A’s rotation was set, and that meant that Barry would have to go to Nashville. Barry performed well, but he slowed down late in the season and thought his career was over. However, due to injuries to the A’s starters, he was called up to the Majors and started last Saturday against his old teammate and Friend Tim Hudson. Barry left after two innings of work. Again, he thought his pitching days were over but Bob Melvin informed him that he would be starting Wednesday against the Angels. Sonny Gray was supposed to start, but Gray’s season ended with an injury. Zito pitched well. He went four innings and allowed two runs and just four hits. He threw 76 pitches. He probably could have pitched another inning, but the A’s felt that he would not be effective as his arm strength had diminished since coming back from the injury.

The Angels entered the game just one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros in the race for the second Wild Card spot. If the Angels are to make the playoffs, they cannot afford to lose any games. Lots of pressure on them. They had won seven straight before Wednesday’s game, and the A’s were looking to upset the applecart. Garrett Richards was on the hill for the Angels, and the scoring follows below.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Centerfielder Mike Trout, last year’s Most Valuable Player in the American League, hit a solo home run to center. It was Trout’s forty-first dinger of the season.

In the top of the fourth the A’s scored three unearned runs to take a 3-1 lead. With one out, Josh Reddick singled. Danny Valencia reached on an error by Johnny Giavotelal. Stephen Vogt walked to load the bases. Brett Lawrie hit a grounder to third and Angels’ third baseman, David Freese, threw a strike to the catcher to get a force out on Reddick. Had the error not been made the Angels would have been out of the inning. However, Eric Sogard now had the opportunity to do damage. He came through with a line shot down the right field line that cleared the bases. A’s in the lead.

The Angels made it a 3-2 game in their half of the fourth. David Freese led off with a solo homer to left center. The Angels scored three times in the sixth. Catcher Carlos Perez reached on a single but was able to make it to third when Same Fuld misplayed the ball. Johnny Giavotella atoned for his error by hitting a home run.  Erick Aybar followed with a single and scored on a double by Kole Calhoun. Angels lead 5-3 after six.

The A’s scored four times in the seventh. Sogard reached on an error. Coco Crisp, pinch-hitting for Jake Smolinski, singled. Billy Butler, pinched hit for Sam Fuld, drew a walk to load the bases. The Angels brought in pitcher Trevor Gott to face Mark Canha. Canha responded with a bloop single to center to drive in Sogard. Josh Reddick walked to force in the second run of the inning With the bases still loaded; Vogt singled to drive in two more runs and the A’s now lead 7-5.

The A’s added a run in the eighth when Marcus Semien tripled. The ball got by Trout as he lost the ball in the lights. Semien scored when Crisp’s sharp ground ball went through first baseman C.J.Cron’s leg for an error. The Angels’ Carlos Perez got the run back when he homered in the bottom of the eight. Angels trail 8-6 with one out. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Sean Doolittle to shut the Angels down. Doolittle retired the next two batters to finish the eighth.

In the ninth, the Angels had the big boys coming up to bat. Doolittle had to face Calhoun, Trout, and Pujols. Calhoun homered to make it a one-run deficit 8-7. Doolittle retired Pujols and Cron. David Freese singled to put men on at first and third with two out. Former Athletic Collin Cowgill then hit a sharp ground ball to A’s third baseman Danny Valencia. Valencia threw him out at first to end the ball game. A’s win 8-7.

Game Notes- There were some oddities in the game. The A’s scored seven unearned runs in the game. The Angels made four errors while the A’s made two. The Angels hit five home runs. Four were solo, and one was a two-run job. Each team used seven pitchers.

The A’ announced that catcher Carson Blair had successful left knee surgery and that he should be ready for spring training.. The A’s have the day off on Thursday and head to Seattle for the final three-game series of the season. The Angels are on their way to Arlington, Texas to face the Rangers and will have to sweep them if they are to win the AL West crown. Houston will either be a half-game ahead of the Angels or a half- game behind depending on the outcome of the game in Seattle.

The   pitching matchups for Friday’s game with the Mariners will be Aaron Brook (2-4) going against Hisashi Iwakuma (9-6)

Attendance at Angel Stadium was 34,033, and the Angels drew over three million people this year.

The Angels walk-off in the ninth to defeat the A’s

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s lost to the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 Monday night in Anaheim. The A’s lost for the eighth time in their last nine games and they continue to lose one-run games. The Angels entered the game trailing the Houston Astros by just 1/2game in the race for the second Wild Card spot. Oakland would like nothing better than to beat LA and derail those hopes.

The A’s took an early 1-0 in the top of the first. Angels’Lefty Hector Santiago gave up a single to Billy Burns. Santiago hot Mark Canha with a pitch to put men on at 1st and 2nd with no out. Brett Lawrie grounded out and Burns advanced to third on the play. Billy Butler flew out to center. Burns tagged, but Mike Trout’s throw from center appeared to nail him. Burns put on the brakes, but he couldn’t make it back to third safely. Two miscues by the Angels allowed Burns to score..

The Angels took the lead in the bottom of the third. Catcher Chris Iannetta walked to get the rally started. Johnny Giavotella doubled to center to drive in Iannetta. Burns was charged with an error as Giavotella reached third on the play. Shortstop Erick Aybar doubled to drive in Giavotella. Angels lead 2-1.

The A’s tied the game in the fourth. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien took Santiago deep for his fourteenth homer of the year. The Angels scored a run in their half of the fourth. 3-2 after four.

The A’s scored twice in the top of the sixth. Santiago hit Brett Lawrie with a pitch. Billy Butler doubled to put two men in scoring position.Jake Smolinski flew out to right driving in Lawrie with the tying run. Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia brought in Cory Rasmus for one batter then replaced him with lefty Jose Alvarez. Coco Crisp, batting right-handed, blooped a single to right to drive in Butler.  The Angels tied the game in their half of the inning. Albert Pujols hit his thirty-eighth home run of the year and 558th of his career. Game tied at four.

The game ended in the bottom of the ninth. Edward Mujica took the loss. C.J.Cron singled. David Freese hit  a “swinging” bunt. Mujica fielded the ball but threw it past first for an error. The A’s walked Shane Victorino to load the bases. Fernando Abad replaced Mujica. Pinch-hitter David Murphy singled to left to drive in the winning run. Angels win 5-4.

The Rangers pound the A’s again, Sweep the series

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by Jerry Feitelberg

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The Texas Rangers pounded the A’s again by a score of 8-1 and swept the three-game series. It was another dismal day for A’s pitchers as they were touched for eight runs and thirteen hits. The Rangers scored twenty-six runs in the series and they increased their lead in the AL West to 3 and 1/2 games over the Houston Astros.
Chris Bassitt pitched three innings for the A’s. Bassitt made his first start since August 26th when he was shut down with soreness in his shoulder. Bassitt was the losing pitcher and his record for 2015 is 1-7. The A’s used seven pitchers in the game. The Rangers ace, Cole Hamels went six innings, and all the A’s could manage was one run on four hits. The Rangers used three more pitchers to close out the game. Hamels is now 5-1 with Texas and 11-8 overall.

The Rangers scored twice in the first inning. Delino DeShields led off with a single. DeShields stole second and scored on a double by Shin-Soo Choo. Prince Fielder ground out and Choo went to third on the play. Adrian Beltre singled to drive in Choo with the second run of the game for Texas.
The Rangers added a run in the second. Rougned Odor led off with a single. Catcher Chris Gimenez singled to put two men on with one out. DeShields singled to drive in Odor with the run. A’s trail 3-0 in the middle of the third.

The Rangers scored three times in the top of the sixth. The Rangers put together three hits and two walks to add to their lead. A’s reliever Fernando Abad was ineffective as he pitched just 2/3rds of an inning allowing two hits and two walks and was charged with all three runs.

The Rangers continued to hit A’s pitching hard. Shin-Soo Choo led off with a single to start the eighth. Prince Fielder followed with a blast for his twenty-second homer of the year. A’s trail 8-1.

Game Notes – The A’s lost their fifth game in a row and are twenty-five games under the .500 mark. The A’s have clinched their worst record since going 65-7 in 1997, and they clinched the last place on the AL West. The A’s starters are 6-21 with a 6.39 ERA over the last 40 games going back to August 11th. The A’s made two more errors Thursday, and no have 117 for the season, which is tied with Pittsburgh for the most in the majors.
Billy Butler recorded his 1,400 major league hit when he doubled in the seventh inning. Marcus Semien hit safely in his eighth straight game.
The Rangers travel to Houston for a big series with the Astros starting Friday.
The A’s welcome the San Francisco Giants for a three-game series starting Friday. Sonny Gray will be on the mound for Oakland, and Mike Leake will pitch for the Giants. Saturday’s game will feature two members of the A’s Big Three pitching against each other. Barry Zito will make his first big league start since 2013 and his friend and former teammate, Tim Hudson will pitch for San Francisco. Both pitchers are expected to retire at the end of the year. The third member of the Big Three, Mark Mulder, will be here in Oakland over the weekend.
Time of game was three hours and twenty minutes, and 14,452 people watch the A’s go down to defeat.
Game time on Friday will be at 7:05 pm PT and the Saturday and Sunday contests will be day games starting at 1:05 pm.