Oakland Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom (37) congratulates teammate Nick Allen (2) after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND – Before Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland A’s inducted five legendary Athletics into the team’s hall of fame.
Jason Giambi, the 2000 AL MVP who hit 241 home runs in eight seasons in the East Bay, was among those honored.
If one had to pick a current A’s player to replicate one of Giambi’s moonshots, 5-8 Nick Allen would probably not be near the top of the list.
But after hitting just a single home run in his first 59 games, Allen tripled his season total, slamming two over the left field wall with a who’s-who of A’s legends in attendance.
His surprising home runs keyed an 8-6 Oakland (32-80) win that tied the two-game series against the Giants (61-51). While the pregame was all about celebrating the past, great performances from young players gave the fans a glimpse into what could be a bright future.
The Oakland offense’s unexpected shot in the arm from light-hitting Allen was even more surprising given his splits and who he was facing.
Taking advantage of facing San Francisco righthander Alex Cobb, the 24-year-old who hits just .133 against righties belted a two-run homer, only his second of the season, in the second inning.
Starting for the A’s was 24-year-old rookie Luis Medina, who was making his 12th start of the season, having allowed only seven earned runs in his past four starts and going at least five innings in each of his previous six.
But after posting a 2.92 ERA over his last seven games, Medina more resembled the pitcher who struggled early in the year. He gave up four runs in 3 1-3 innings on five hits and five walks before being pulled for Sam Long.
The A’s also scored in the first inning, when Zack Gelof smacked a double and then came home on Seth Brown’s first triple of the season.
Gelof, a rookie who has hit four home runs in his last seven games, had to settle for a 3 for 4 day with a double as he continued his strong debut season.
The A’s got back within two on Allen’s second home run, and then the A’s cut the lead to one on a bases-loaded Tyler Soderstrom walk with the bases loaded.
Shea Langeliers had the stadium of 27,381 Bay Area fans rocking when his two-run single into left gave the A’s a lead, then Tony Kemp added an insurance run with a sac fly.
NOTES:
Ryan Noda could be nearing his return after being put in the IL on July 20 with a broken jaw. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Noda, who is second on the team with 11 home runs, could join Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday if approved by a doctor.
With the win, the Oakland A’s, for at least one day, staved off the stigma of having back-to-back non-winning seasons for the first time since 2015-17. The A’s are still all-but-guaranteed to lose at least 100 games for the second consecutive season, an infamous feat the Athletics achieved in Philadelphia from 1919-21.
Originally published at Joseph Dycus