Pinch-hitter Abraham Toro drew a bases-loaded walk from Eli Morgan, bringing in the game-winning run as the Oakland Athletics secured their first victory of the season with a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
Despite the sunny weather, the A’s had a small crowd of just 4,118 fans at the Coliseum for the game. Throughout the opening four-game series, total attendance reached 26,902.
The A’s, under manager Mark Kotsay, lost three out of four games to the Guardians. After the Guardians tied the game in the eighth inning with three runs, the A’s managed to clinch the win in the ninth inning.
Carlos Carrasco, back in Cleveland’s rotation after three seasons with the New York Mets, pitched five innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
Meanwhile, Oakland’s Paul Blackburn pitched three scoreless innings before Cleveland tied the game in the eighth inning with Josh Naylor’s RBI single, which was partly due to an error by shortstop Nick Allen.
Scott Barlow started the ninth inning by walking Ryan Noda, and Shea Langeliers reached base on an infield hit after a video review overturned the call. Then, Toro pinch-hit for Allen, and Morgan took the mound, walking Toro with four pitches, securing the win for the A’s.
Dany Jiménez earned his first major league win since Aug. 20, 2022, by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
JJ Bleday contributed to the A’s offense with an RBI triple in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the third, along with Seth Brown’s RBI single in the second inning.
