Shea Langeliers owns the longest home run in the majors this season, and the two-run blast helped the Athletics take sole possession of first place in the American League West for the first time in nearly five years.
The catcher’s 467-foot shot in Wednesday’s 6-5 win was the highlight of the Athletics’ seventh victory in eight games. The A’s now wil look to beat the Texas Rangers for the third straight contest when the two clubs close a four-game set on Thursday afternoon at West Sacramento, Calif.
“I didn’t know how far it was going to go, but I knew it was going over the fence,” Langeliers told reporters. “It’s like the vibration doesn’t come through the bat. I know that’s weird, but that’s getting it on the sweet spot.”
The last time the Athletics were atop the AL West alone was June 19, 2021, when they were based in Oakland. The A’s hold a one-game lead over the Rangers after the win on Wednesday.
Langeliers expects the improving A’s to be leading the division more often.
“The belief in these locker rooms is that we have a good team,” Langeliers said. “The hard part in a season is being consistent for 162 games. That’s what we set out to do.”
The mammoth drive to left-center field off Rangers reliever Cole Winn was Langeliers’ sixth homer of the season and first since April 1.
Jacob Wilson also hit a two-run homer for the A’s, who have won 10 of their first 18 games. Right-hander Joel Kuhnel provided a lift by retiring all four batters he faced for his third save.
“We talked during spring training about the importance of relievers being able to pitch more than one inning,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s not easy what Joel Kuhnel did, but he was fresh and we liked the matchups he had coming up in the ninth inning.”
Corey Seager belted a two-run homer in the third inning and Jake Burger hit a three-run blast in the eighth for all the Texas runs.
The Rangers had just five hits but manager Skip Schumaker said he was the reason Texas lost Wednesday.
Winn hadn’t allowed a run in eight appearances entering the contest but served up the homers to Langeliers in the sixth and Wilson in the seventh.
“I made a bad strategy move in the middle of the game. I put this one solely on me,” Schumaker said. “The offense did their job, came back late with the big home run from Burger. I put Cole in a bad situation and it ultimately cost us the game in my opinion. So this one’s on me.”
Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter (1-1, 4.91 ERA) will oppose Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez (1-1, 7.43) in the series finale.
Leiter, who turns 26 on Tuesday, lasted just 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday. He served up two homers and gave up five runs and five hits.
Leiter is 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA in four appearances (three starts) against the A’s. Both wins came last season when he compiled a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings.
Lopez has struggled with his control in three outings and has walked 13 in 13 1/3 innings.
Lopez, 28, defeated the New York Mets last Saturday when he gave up five runs and seven hits over five innings.
Lopez is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in three appearances (two starts) against Texas, with all the matchups coming last season.
–Field Level Media
