Oakland A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) forces out Texas Rangers baserunner Jonathan Ornelas (right) in the top of the third inning for a double play at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Sep 26, 2024 (photo by Mauricio Segura Golden Bay Times)
Texas(75-84). 000 002 000. 2. 5. 1
Athletics (70-90). 002 010 00x. 3. 9 0
Time: 2:29
Attendance: 46,889
Thu Sep 26, 2024
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–A Day Which Will Live in Infamy
This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.” ― T.S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
— Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night”
Nothing in life became him like the leaving it. —William Shakeskpeare, Macbeth
Pick your choice of which quotation best describes the Athletics’ long farewell to Oakland and the Coliseum that the people who took them away from us put on Thursday afternoon. From Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart throwing in tandem the ceremonial first pitches and Barry Zito singing the national anthem to the last out of the 3-2 A’s win their last ever on their home field.
The “LET’S GO OAKLAND” chants yielded to “SELL THE TEAM” in the top of the fifth, showing that even new habits die hard. Meanwhile, an interesting ball game was taking place. In a battle of rookie righties, the A’s sent JT Ginn, who was 0-1, 4.40 between his August 20 call up from Las Vegas and 12:37 Thursday afternoon He earned the win, going 5-1/3 innings and allowing both of the Rangers’ runs, which were earned.
They came in the sixth inning on a walk to Josh Smith, a single to left by Wyatt Langford, a single to right by Adolis García that scored Smith, and Nathaniel Lowe’s force out of García that first base umpire Jordan Baker had called an inning ending double play.
That ruling was appealed but quite rightly confirmed, allowing Langford to score. In all, Ginn lasted 5-1/3 innings and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four Rangers. He threw 68 pitches, 43 of which counted as strikes, even his record to 1-1, and reduced his ERA to 4.24.
TJ McFarland, Tyler Ferguson, Michel Otáñez, and Mason Miller, who earned his 28th save, held the visitors hitless and scoreless the rest of the way. Miller, who got four outs, had his ninth inning interrupted by a streaker whose ejection was greeted with spontaneous calls to sell the team, accompanied by scoreboard exhortations of “Let’s Go Oakland,” on the scoreboard and loud speakers. A few stink bombs also found their way onto the outfield after that.
For their part, the Rangers gave the nod to Kumar Rocker, their third overall pick in the 2022 draft and one time first round unsigned choice of the Mets and (I believe) the first major league of Indian descent . The Rangers didn’t give him much support, offensive or defensively.
The A’s scored off him in the third on Jacob Wilson weak ground ball single to third, Brent Rooker’s single to center, and Shea Langlier’s sacrifice fly to left. They picked up their third and final run in the fifth when Wilson led off with a single to left and advanced to second when Langford mishandled the ball, allowing JJ Bleday to drive him in with a two out single to center.
So Rocker’s numbers don’t reflect the quality of his outing Texas, but here they are: Three runs, all earned, on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings. He faced 21 Athletics and struck out a pair of them without walking any. 50 of his 73 offerings went into the book as strikes. The loss left him at 0-2, 3..8. Jack Leiter kept the game a tight one, allowing only two hits and three walks in the remaining 3-1/3 innings.
I usually end my dispatches by listing the next home game’s probable pitchers. There’ll be no more of that for the Coliseum,
RIP.
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