SEATTLE — The A’s play their final game as an Oakland-based franchise today, but as they have shown all season, they are not going quietly.
Saturday night the A’s broke out of a home run slump in a big way with three, including Shea Langeliers’ go-ahead three-run homer with two out in the top of the ninth. But the Seattle Mariners spoiled the comeback with two rallies of their own, including Luke Raley’s tying two-run home run off closer Mason Miller in the bottom of the ninth, to hand the A’s a 7-6 loss in 10 innings.
Oakland had gone a season-high seven games without a home run before Brent Rocker hit his 39th homer of the season with one out in the top of the fifth to provide the A’s their first runs of their final series of the season and cut the Mariners’ lead to 3-2.
“You can kind of see him emerging and taking on that responsibility (of clubhouse leadership), which is awesome,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “I hope that tomorrow works out for him and he gets that 40th homer.”
Tyler Soderstrom tied it in the sixth with a solo shot to the left-field corner.
Langeliers hit his 29th of the season the the A’s down to their final out, but Miller, despite striking out three, had a blown save for just the third time in 31 opportunities.
The Mariners’ comeback win — their 32nd of the season — came with nothing on the line after the team was eliminated from postseason contention midweek. But the teams traded late leads and Raley rallied the Mariners twice for their seventh win in their last nine games.
First, Julio Rodríguez scored from first base on Raley’s double into the left-field corner for a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning. Then he hit a two-run homer to right field to tie it 6-6 in the ninth. His 22nd homer came after Langeliers had put the A’s up 6-4 in the top of the inning with his three-run homer.
“It’s the big leagues,” Raley said of his motivation. “Not everybody gets to do this. I will never take a day for granted.”
The Mariners won it when Leo Rivas scored on Justin Turner’s fielder’s-choice grounder in the 10th. The pinch-runner avoided Langeliers’ tag attempt at the plate with a wide slide, giving Seattle its third straight win and 11th victory in its final at-bat of the season.
“That’s not exactly what I was trying to do up there,” pinch-hitter Turner said of his grounder to second. “But (hitting coach Edgar Martinez) talks about it all the time, just trying to get a good pitch and hit it hard somewhere, move the ball forward and make things happen.”
Eduard Bazardo (2-0) earned the win and Scott Alexander (1-3) took the loss.
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Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 92nd career homer in the fourth inning, tying him with Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets Hall of Famer Mike Piazza for most home runs through the first four years of a career for catchers. That also ties Alvin Davis’ team record. Ninety of the 92 homers came after the switch hitter’s first year in the majors.
Josh Rojas added a two-run single later in the inning to put Seattle up 3-0.
Emerson Hancock, a rookie right-hander making his 12th start after being called up from Triple-A Tacoma, walked four batters. He struck out three and gave up five hits in 5 1/3 innings. But he started the fifth by putting Max Schuemann on base, then one out later Rooker blasted No. 39 over the left-field wall.
UP NEXT
Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (8-12, 3.33 ERA) faces Oakland RHP Mitch Spence (8-9, 4.35) to close out the season.
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