WEST SACRAMENTO -- Mark Kotsay walked into the Sutter Health Park media center before Sunday¡¯s postgame press conference and issued a warning.
¡°Heads up in here,¡± the Athletics¡¯ manager pointed out on his way to the podium. ¡°I don¡¯t think that ball has landed yet.¡±
Luis Urías' two-run, walk-off home run Sunday afternoon in a 3-2, 10-inning win over the White Sox did, eventually, return to earth. But the A¡¯s are still soaring.
Spirits are high both literally -- after the game, the team prepared to board a plane to Texas for an upcoming four-game series with the Rangers -- and figuratively after Ur¨ªas¡¯ no-doubt, walk-off clout secured a second straight series win.
A cry of ¡°happy flight!¡± was heard in the clubhouse as reporters entered after the game, and the A¡¯s looked like they meant it. They won in walk-off fashion for the second time in four games, and this time, Ur¨ªas was the hero.
The 27-year-old second baseman homered for the second straight contest, but this one sure meant a lot more than Saturday¡¯s solo shot late in a White Sox rout. Ur¨ªas picked out a high, first-pitch fastball from Chicago reliever Jordan Leasure and teed off. He stopped in the opposite batter¡¯s box, admired his first career walk-off homer for a moment, then flipped his bat toward a rapidly emptying A¡¯s dugout.
¡°Everything happened so fast,¡± Ur¨ªas said. ¡°Being able to live that moment, I¡¯m really grateful for it and really happy.¡±
Sunday was certainly the pinnacle, but early returns have been excellent ever since Ur¨ªas signed a one-year deal with the A¡¯s back in February. With Zack Gelof still out with a broken hamate bone and Max Muncy optioned to Triple-A, second base has been wide open for Ur¨ªas, who¡¯s now in his eighth Major League season and playing for his fifth MLB club.
Ur¨ªas has earned that opportunity. He has four homers in just 40 at-bats, and he owns a .275 batting average and a .923 OPS this season.
Kotsay isn¡¯t surprised. The A¡¯s skipper said Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who managed Ur¨ªas on the Brewers from 2020-23, spoke positively of the young infielder¡¯s talent.
¡°This kid can hit,¡± Counsell told his fellow manager.
The A¡¯s front office knew that, too. Kotsay credited the club¡¯s baseball operations department -- which has struck gold in the past with hitters like Brent Rooker -- for adding Ur¨ªas.
¡°This is one of those guys that they identified who could help us provide depth and a big league bat,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We watched that today, and we¡¯re going to continue to watch it.¡±
Ur¨ªas once again helped the A¡¯s go from trailing by a run entering the game¡¯s final half-inning to pouring out of the dugout in happiness. On Thursday, his single -- plus a Rangers error -- brought home Max Schuemann from first to tie the game, and rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson ended things with a walk-off base hit.
Sunday¡¯s victory saw Ur¨ªas playing a starring role rather than serving as a supporting act. With one out and Wilson on second as the automatic runner in the 10th, Ur¨ªas -- after a walk and two groundouts to shortstop -- knew what he was looking for.
¡°Honestly, I was sitting fastball,¡± Ur¨ªas said. ¡°The whole game, I was looking at cutter or slider, and they were throwing me fastballs, and that¡¯s what I was rolling over to short.¡±
Ur¨ªas saw in the A¡¯s scouting report on Leasure that the righty reliever¡¯s arsenal didn¡¯t feature a sinker. That let Ur¨ªas hone in on a four-seam fastball, and he was ready for the 99 mph offering at the top of the zone.
It was the latest example of Ur¨ªas¡¯ preparations at the plate, something he said has helped him mentally.
¡°That gives you more calm,¡± Ur¨ªas said. ¡°Once I stepped in the box, I¡¯d already studied some, and I felt like that gets me not trying to do too much.¡±
Ur¨ªas powered the A¡¯s to their third series win in their past four series, getting the team back to the .500 mark before their visit to Globe Life Field. The A¡¯s went 1-5 in their first six games at Sutter Health Park and have gone 5-4 since.
¡°Now we know we can play at home, because the beginning wasn¡¯t that good,¡± starting pitcher Osvaldo Bido said through an interpreter. ¡°When it¡¯s going like this, it¡¯s a lot of confidence for all the guys, for all of us. And now we have to continue playing the best baseball we can.¡±