OAKLAND -- By now, the A¡¯s are quite familiar with the elation that comes after a walk-off victory. They¡¯ve experienced it more often than any other American League club this season. Never could they have used that good feeling more than Friday, after an emotional previous 24 hours.
The bad news just kept piling on for the A¡¯s. It began on Thursday afternoon, when they learned beloved longtime broadcaster Ray Fosse was stepping away from the booth amid a 16-year bout with cancer. Then came another tough blow on Friday morning, when the club learned it would be without star outfielder Ram¨®n Laureano for the rest of the season after he was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
A day that began about as somber as the A¡¯s have experienced in quite some time ended with exuberance: Starling Marte being mobbed at home plate by his teammates after his trek around the bases following his three-run walk-off blast off Rangers right-hander Jimmy Herget in the 11th inning, a 4-1 victory at the Coliseum that marked Oakland's second straight walk-off win.
"It¡¯s been a crappy 24 hours for us, to say the least,¡± said A¡¯s starter Chris Bassitt, who was excellent in seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts. ¡°I think we just had to be professionals and flush the news as best we can to get our job done.?
¡°With Ray, that news really sucked for a lot of the guys around here. Obviously, the news with Ram¨®n was terrible. It¡¯s impressive that we were able to flush it.¡±
The series-opening victory over Texas marked the A¡¯s 10th walk-off of the year, which is tied with Colorado for most in the Majors. In addition to maintaining hold of the second AL Wild Card, the A¡¯s also pulled within three games of Houston for first place in the AL West.
Of the three deals the A¡¯s pulled off prior to the July 30 Trade Deadline, Marte was the clear headliner. His importance on this club now grows immensely in the aftermath of Laureano¡¯s suspension.
It¡¯s unlikely anyone can match Laureano¡¯s spirit in the clubhouse and dugout, but when it comes to dynamic abilities on the field, Marte¡¯s five-tool skillset is nearly an exact replica.
Crushing clutch, Statcast-projected 404-foot homers tagged 105 mph off his bat is just one of the many facets of Marte¡¯s game that have thrilled the A¡¯s since his arrival. In seven games with Oakland, the center fielder is now batting .367 (11-for-30) with two homers, four RBIs and five stolen bases. Combined with his time with the Marlins, his .430 batting average since the All-Star break leads the Majors.
¡°Every game, it seems like there¡¯s something he does to help us win,¡± A¡¯s manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°Whether it¡¯s his legs. Whether it¡¯s just getting a hit. Whether it¡¯s dropping a bunt down or hitting a homer. There¡¯s very few things that he can¡¯t do, at least that we¡¯ve seen to this point.?
¡°We liked him from the other side. We like him even better on our team.¡±
Against Herget in the 11th, Marte said he was just looking to drive the ball up the middle. That was all that would have been needed to end it, as the A¡¯s had runners on first and second with no outs at the time. But as he¡¯s shown in his short time with Oakland, Marte possesses a supreme ability to make adjustments on the fly.
Having seen sliders from Herget in the first two pitches of the at-bat, Marte then watched two fastballs go by, getting to a 3-1 count. Keeping his bat on his shoulder the whole time, he waited for a mistake. It finally came on the fifth pitch -- a hanging slider -- and he deposited it into the left-field bleachers.
On a night the A¡¯s were reeling and in need of a pick-me-up, Marte delivered. They¡¯ll count on him to continue performing at this level the rest of the way in order to reach the postseason for a fourth straight year.
¡°His approach is something that you truly fear as a pitcher,¡± Bassitt said. ¡°He tries to hit line drives hard away and if you hang something, he¡¯s definitely got the ability to put it out of the park, which we saw tonight.¡±