They did it. The Oakland Athletics finally won a game.
The A’s started the young season 0-6 before beating the Dodgers by a final tally of 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon, wrestling victory from the jaws of defeat in 10 innings. Mitch Moreland’s walk-off single sealed the deal.
And in a bit of housecleaning, the A’s merely tied the worst start in overall franchise history; the A’s started out in Philadelphia and made a stop in Kansas City before growing roots in Oakland.
But frustratingly, 0-6 was the worst start to the A’s season the Bay Area has seen.
Here’s a rundown of Wednesday’s winning moment, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara. The A’s entered the ninth down a run and facing closer Kenley Jansen.
Matt Chapman singled, Seth Brown walked and Tony Kemp executed a bunt. Elvis Andrus lifted a sacrifice fly just deep enough to score Chapman. Yusmeiro Petit retired the Dodgers in the 10th to strand the runner placed on second via MLB rules.
Moreland was 2-for-20 entering his 10th-inning at-bat. He waved at two Jimmy Nelson curveballs and took a third for a ball. Nelson threw a fourth and Moreland lined it into right-center field to score Mark Canha from third. The A’s mobbed Moreland between first and second base.
Matt Kawahara/San Francisco Chronicle
Thank goodness the fellas had some fun. Though the A’s have a brutal early-season schedule, facing the Astros and Dodgers to start, the 0-6 beginning was extremely unexpected.
In fact, the A’s hit the road to face the Astros again on Thursday. A quick run of wins, and the A’s will be right back in the swing of things. Third baseman Matt Chapman said Oakland could win 100 games this season, so they had better get started piling up victories while they have the time.
(Photo credit:Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
Bay Area Sports Hub 