Field Level Media
Sep 26, 2020
Mark Canha hit a two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning as the Oakland Athletics defeated the visiting Seattle Mariners 3-1 Friday night.
Ramon Laureano preceded Canha with a double down the left-field line, tying the score at 1-1 after neither team tallied through nine innings.
The Mariners scored in the top of the 10th as pinch-runner Dee Strange-Gordon advanced from second to third on a flyout to right and scored on a passed ball.
Mariners rookie right-hander Joey Gerber (1-1) was an out away from his first major league save before giving up the extra-base hits to Laureano and Canha.
Oakland left-hander Jake Diekman (2-0) got the victory despite allowing the game's first run in the top of the 10th.
The A's (35-22) have already wrapped up the American League West title, while the Mariners (25-32) were eliminated from postseason contention Thursday.
Both starting pitchers were stellar.
Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi pitched six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, walked three and struck out five. It was the second time Kikuchi pitched six scoreless innings against the A's, mirroring his Aug. 1 effort in Seattle.
A's right-hander Chris Bassitt did Kikuchi one better, going seven scoreless innings. He allowed five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
The Mariners threatened only once against Bassitt, after one-out singles by Joseph Odom and J.P. Crawford in the sixth. Bassitt struck out Kyle Lewis and got Kyle Seager to pop out to second to end the inning.
The A's had plenty of chances to score.
A fielding error by Seattle second baseman Ty France and a double by Khris Davis put two runners on with one out in the second. But Kikuchi struck out Stephen Piscotty and got Jake Lamb to pop out to shortstop to end the threat.
Marcus Semien doubled with one out in the third but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
In the fourth, Canha led off with a double to center and Matt Olson walked. Davis grounded into a double play and Piscotty grounded out to first to end the inning.
The A's likely would have scored in the seventh, if not for a pick off. With one out, pinch-hitter Robbie Grossman singled to left. But Grossman was picked off first by right-hander Yohan Ramirez. Lamb followed with a double into the right-field corner.
--Field Level Media