Field Level Media
Jun 30, 2019
Oakland A's third baseman Matt Chapman learned before the game against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon that he had been named to the American League All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Not long later, Chapman showed why he is worthy.
Chapman went 2-for-2 with a triple, double, a run scored and three RBIs in the eighth inning alone, part of Oakland's seven-run inning that put the stamp on a 12-3 victory in Anaheim, Calif.
Chapman also hit a three-run home run in fifth inning, leaving him with six RBIs and just a single shy of hitting for the cycle.
After losing the first game on Thursday, the A's came back to win the final three games of the four-game series.
Oakland starter Chris Bassitt (5-3) gave up two runs on five hits and one walk in 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven, to earn the victory. He was staked to a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Chad Pinder in the second inning and an RBI double by Ramon Laureano in the fourth.
But in the bottom of the fourth, Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani got ahold of a 72-mph breaking ball from Bassitt and hit it over the fence in right-center, cutting the A's lead to 2-1.
Ohtani hit his second homer of the game, No. 12 of the season, in the eighth inning, the ball estimated to travel at 447 feet.
Angels starter Andrew Heaney kept the Angels close through four innings, but in the fifth, he yielded a single to Josh Phegley and a double to Marcus Semien with one out.
That's when Chapman went the other way, sending a 1-2 changeup from Heaney into the right field seats for his 21st homer of the season and a 5-1 Oakland lead.
The Angels' other run of the game came on a two-out RBI single by Kole Calhoun in the sixth inning. Angels second baseman Tommy La Stella, named to the AL All-Star team before the game, had three hits and a walk in the contest.
Heaney (1-2) went six innings but allowed five runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight. He has struck out eight or more in four of his seven starts this season.
--Field Level Media