Oakland Athletics Pull Off an Improbable Win
By Mark Sigmon
Oakland Athletics swept the Seattle Mariners this past weekend and are now riding a three game win streak
It is very difficult to sweep a team under any circumstances, but it is especially difficult to sweep on the road. It is almost impossible to get a sweep on the road in Seattle against Felix Hernandez. The Oakland Athletics used a couple of unlikely heroes to pull it off. It was a nice win and it was made all the sweeter by how unexpected it was. It is only the first week of the season, but 2016 is starting off a lot better than 2015.
When you win 2-1 on the road against King Felix in extra innings, there are going to be a lot of heroes. Chris Bassitt matched Hernandez inning by inning, pitch for pitch. Actually, Bassitt might have pitched a little bit better than the King. The ump gave Hernandez some pitches that he did not call for Bassitt. Bassitt was a hard luck pitcher last year when his teammates “supported” him with less than two runs a game. He was ecstatic when Marcus Semien hit that home run in the eighth. With a little bit of run support, Bassitt is going to be a big winner.
Jed Lowrie was probably the only one in the A’s dugout happier than Bassitt when Semien took Joel Peralta deep. Lowrie made a critical error in the bottom of the sixth that gave the Mariners’ their only run. It was a tough error because Bassitt had battled through a difficult inning that ended in a slow ground ball to second. Lowrie had the ball bounce off the heel of his glove while the go ahead run scored.
I know it is frustrating, but A’s fans should bear a couple things in mind. First off, Lowrie is learning a relatively new position for him, and he’s making progress. Lowrie came back to make a real nice play on Ketel Marte‘s bunt to keep a speedster off the bases in the bottom of the ninth. Secondly, Lowrie has seven RBI in seven games. Lowrie and Semien have proven they can hit the ball. I’m confident the fielding will come. I hope it comes soon!
The bullpen was, once again, absolutely outstanding. Ryan Madson, Friday night’s closer, came into the game in the bottom of the eighth after Semien had tied it up. He had to face the heart of the Mariners’ order. Madson got the crucial shutdown inning the A’s needed. John Axford came in for the bottom of the ninth, and he was able to shut down the M’s as well.
After Coco Crisp hit the go ahead home run in the top of the tenth, Sean Doolittle came in for the save. He immediately gave up a cheap bloop double to Kyle Seager. With the game hanging in the balance, Doolittle struck out Robinson Cano and got a deep fly ball off the bat of Nelson Cruz. With the M’s down to their last hope, Doolittle blew Dae-ho Lee away on high fastballs. In the postgame interview, Doolittle was explaining that the relievers only care about making Oakland’s bullpen the best bullpen in the league. As Harry S. Truman once observed, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
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Finally, it was thrilling to see Crisp get the big home run. Crisp has already resurrected his career a couple of times through the years. Coming off an injury-plagued season, Crisp feels he has something to prove this year. Ever since Crisp came to Oakland in 2010, he has played his heart out and given 100% to help the team win. Crisp’s injuries have come from slamming into walls trying to make game-saving plays. Crisp realizes that he is nearing the end of his career. I think he wants to go out a winner. It’s impossible to know how 2016 will turn out, but on this Sunday in Seattle, Coco and the A’s won a most improbable victory.