When you win 11 straight games, it apparently takes all five senses. Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano proved that in explaining his mindset late in the A’s unlikely win against the Twins on Wednesday, extending Oakland’s early-season run.
The Athletics are the only team in Major League Baseball history to lose its first six games and have an 11-game winning streak at any point during that season, per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland pulled that off in just 19 games. They’ll go for win No. 12 on Friday against the Orioles.
But back to Laureano’s senses. He said he “smelled” that victory was on the horizon on Wednesday, as he sat sixth in line to hit in the 10th inning, the A’s down two runs.
“I was like, yeah, I’m going to get to hit because that’s just how life has been,” Laureano said. “I smelled that we were going to win, too.”
“You just smell when you’re going to win.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Clearly, the Athletics are firing on all cylinders, nostrils included.
The club has needed every bit of sensory attention in turning their early-season woes into an afterthought. They made their own luck late against the Twins, forcing walks and putting the ball in play in the final frame. The A’s won in extra innings thanks to multiple errors from Minnesota.
The resulting 11-game streak is the longest run of wins in the big leagues since the A’s won 11 consecutive games in May 2019, but that streak wasn’t so unexpected.
The Athletics’ current run is extremely unexpected, and it’s why sports are so fun. You simply never know what’s gonna happen. Laureano’s emotion and fire helps to power the club, and you can safely add his sense of smell to the equation moving forward.
(Photo credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)
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