Shea Langeliers hit the tiebreaking double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Athletics a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Jacob Wilson delivered a three-run double to help the cause as the Athletics (76-84) won for the 10th time in their past 14 games.
Jonathan India smacked a three-run homer for the Royals (80-80), who lost for the third time in five games.
Luinder Avila (1-1) entered with one out in the bottom of the ninth for the Royals and gave up a single to Darell Hernaiz. Brett Harris followed by hitting a potential double-play ball but second baseman India couldn’t get the ball moving on the relay and Harris reached safely.
Max Schuemann pinch-ran for Harris and Langeliers sent a shot to the left of Kansas City left fielder Adam Frazier, who misjudged the ball and was running laterally. The ball dropped behind Frazier and Schuemann beat the throws of center fielder John Rave and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to win the game.
The Athletics are 4-0 against the Royals this season. They swept a three-game series in Kansas City in mid-June.
Justin Sterner (4-3) struck out two in a perfect ninth for the Athletics to keep the score deadlocked. Overall, he gave up one infield hit in 1 1/3 innings.
Langeliers and Hernaiz each had two hits for the A’s.
Maikel Garcia hit a one-out single and Carter Jensen singled with two outs in the fourth for the Royals. India stepped in and lined a three-run blast over the wall in left to give Kansas City the lead.
Langeliers singled for the A’s with one out in the fifth before Noah Cameron retired Nick Kurtz to stand one out shy of a victory. But he walked Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom and was pulled with the bases loaded.
The move backfired as Wilson delivered a two-bagger into the left-center gap off Taylor Clarke that scored all three runners.
Cameron was charged with three runs and allowed four hits. He struck out six and walked four.
Athletics starter Mason Barnett gave up three runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
–Field Level Media
