Oakland –
It was another stellar night of baseball for the A’s as they clinched a postseason spot and reclaimed the Bay Bridge Trophy. Matt Olson’s three-run homer and Chris Bassitt’s dominant performance on the mound powered Oakland to a 6-0 shutout victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Bassitt was nearly untouchable, holding the Giants scoreless through 6 2/3 innings. He allowed just three hits, issued three walks, and struck out seven batters. His ERA for the season dropped to 2.57, marking his 10th start this year. His overall ERA of 2.92 is now the fifth-lowest among pitchers in the West divisions.
“He’s been absolutely terrific,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “You look at his overall numbers, his ERA, everything he’s done in a short season. He’s probably the guy who got off to the fastest start in Summer Camp, but he deserves all the accolades. He’s a bonafide big league starter right now, and he had to work hard to get there.”
Bassitt had plenty of support early on. In the first inning, Marcus Semien got on base with a walk, and Mark Canha grounded out up the middle. A throwing error by second baseman Donovan Solano put runners on the corners. Jack Lamb then singled on a deflected ground ball, allowing Semien to score and giving Oakland a 1-0 lead.
“Yeah that first run’s big,” Melvin said. “It’s huge, games like this, to knock that first run in and guys follow-up behind it and we get a nice lead, we get a well pitched game and all of the above and score a bunch of runs. It started with Jake’s hit. He’s made a huge impact since he’s been here, I know he’s feeling good.”
By the third inning, Olson delivered the decisive blow. After Semien hit into a force out and Canha walked, Olson launched a three-run homer into the right-field bleachers, extending the A’s lead to 4-0. The Giants had no answer for Oakland’s surging offense. The A’s added two more runs in the fourth inning with RBIs from Tommy La Stella and Semien, making it 6-0.
“I think we have a lot bigger goals, said Bassitt postgame. “This team is extremely hungry for a lot bigger things than just the playoffs. It’s awesome, but we basically just acted like it was another game. I think once we win the division, there might be a little celebration.”
With the victory, the A’s secured their third consecutive postseason appearance. Their magic number is now 1, as they continue a phenomenal season. Oakland hasn’t won the American League West since 2013 but has another opportunity to go beyond a division title this year.
Meanwhile, bragging rights in the Bay Area belong to Oakland. The A’s reclaimed the Bay Bridge Trophy, a fan-favorite series contested over the past three years. Oakland won the trophy in 2018, while San Francisco claimed it at Oracle Park last summer. This year, the A’s captured the title after winning four out of six games in the series.
Game 2 of the series is tomorrow at 1:10 pm.
