WEST SACRAMENTO -- Entering the night carrying the seventh-highest batting average in the Majors and having hit safely in 21 of his first 23 games, Jacob Wilson clearly has a pretty good idea of what he¡¯s doing at the plate. Sometimes, though, you need a second opinion.
Take Thursday¡¯s series finale against the Rangers, for example. Watching from the Athletics bench as his teammates mounted a furious ninth-inning rally to tie the game against reliever Luke Jackson, Wilson observed that the right-hander had thrown sliders for nine of his first 12 pitches.
He had an idea the slider was coming, but before heading to the plate with two outs and a chance to win it, Wilson ran over to the dugout seeking advice from manager Mark Kotsay and the A¡¯s hitting coaches.
¡°He asked me, ¡®Kots, what do you think he¡¯s going to do?¡¯¡± Kotsay said. ¡°I said, ¡®He¡¯s going to stay with his breaking ball. That¡¯s his best pitch, so stay on the breaking ball the whole at-bat.¡¯¡±
Sure enough, Wilson, a free swinger who prior to drawing his first walk of the season in Wednesday¡¯s victory had never even seen a three-ball count to that point, sat on the slider. He fouled one off for the first pitch he saw from Jackson, took the next three pitches out of the zone for balls to reach a 3-1 count, then got that slider in the zone and drove it to center field for a single that scored Luis Ur¨ªas from second for a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Rangers.
¡°That shows some discipline and the right approach,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°He got the breaking ball on the 3-1 count up in the zone, stayed through the middle of the field and got a big hit. That¡¯s a pretty advanced approach for a young hitter to be able to follow that plan and stay with it.¡±
It was yet another highlight for Wilson, who is building a strong early case for American League Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old shortstop leads all qualified rookies in hits (31) and RBIs (12) and is tied for most runs scored (14).
Wilson¡¯s walk-off was the first for the A¡¯s at their new temporary home of Sutter Health Park. The previous walk-off hit by the A¡¯s? It was also Wilson, who recorded the A¡¯s final walk-off at the Oakland Coliseum on Sept. 24, 2024, also a single against the Rangers.
¡°I kind of thought about that going towards the end of that game,¡± Wilson said. ¡°Those are cool moments. Being able to walk off the game and help your team win is a great feeling. That¡¯s a big win right there to take a series win.¡±
It was the A¡¯s first series victory in West Sacramento, and while Wilson delivered the signature knock, he was just one of many contributors on the night.
The ninth inning alone had a few heroics, starting with what Kotsay dubbed ¡°the at-bat of the night¡± by Max Schuemann. Entering the game two innings prior as a pinch-runner, Schuemann worked a six-pitch walk against Jackson and raced around the bases to score from first on a single by Ur¨ªas that was misplayed by Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras.
The entire bullpen, which has now combined to not allow an earned run in eight of the last nine games, kept the A¡¯s in the game. In relief of starter J.T. Ginn, the trio of Hogan Harris, Noah Murdock and Grant Holman combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Harris and Holman, both recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, were making their first appearances back from the Minors.
For a series in April, taking two of three from the Rangers ¨C who entered Thursday in first place in the AL West ¨C does feel like a statement for this A¡¯s club that has serious goals of competing for the playoffs in 2025. They are now just two games back of first in a bunched-up division and will next welcome the White Sox, whom they swept over three games in Chicago last week, for a three-game set before facing the Rangers again in Texas next week.
¡°Tonight was a great night for our ballclub,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We fought all night to stay in the game. ¡ It just felt good from a team standpoint tonight to get a win and series win against a team that¡¯s leading the division.¡±