The Athletics went into the 10th inning before falling to the Boston Red Sox at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, on July 29.
Red Sox infielder Andruw Monasterio had the heroic moment in the top of the 10th inning with a leadoff, two-run home run, taking a 91 mph, four-seam fastball 428 feet off the bat across left center to give Boston a 4-2 advantage. He finished the game going 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs.
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The Red Sox improved to 56-51. They have the third-best record in the American League East.
“Really, since the road trip before the All-Star break, we gave him some run there. He started playing more, and he started playing very good defensively. He’s taken some good swings against both left and right,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters of Monasterio. “He’s hit some home runs, a lot of doubles, but he’s been huge for us.”
It was a homecoming for Red Sox third baseman Nick Sogard, who is familiar with the Sacramento region. Sogard, 28, attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael. Naturally, he had dozens of fans out at the West Sacramento ballpark to root him on.
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He didn’t disappoint.
Sogard went 2-for-5 in the ballgame and accounted for an RBI in the sixth inning, which tied the game at 2.
“You feel the game going along, and actually the series, like we’ve had some runners, we’ve had some trouble getting them in, so you only get so many chances. So when you get get an opportunity, you can get a two-out hit and get the game tied, and now you’ve moved at that point, you’ve moved towards the back end of your bullpen. So, just a really, really good at-bat there,” Tracy said of Sogard’s timely hit.
But it was the veteran pitching of nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Aroldis Chapman that stole the show and set up Monasterio’s moment in the 10th.
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In the ninth inning, it looked as if the A’s were going to go ahead. Lawrence Butler hit a 85 mph slider that looked like it would have been a walk-off homer, but it stayed in the park and got down. Butler was caught watching the spectacle, hoping it would go over the wall, but Boston got it back in play as Butler settled on a double. Butler finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run and RBI.
Donovan Walton took a sacrifice bunt to get Butler to third, but that’s where it ended as Chapman delivered a series of four-seam fastballs and splitters, racking up strikes. Jacob Wilson struck out swinging − the splitter got him. Jeff McNeil struck out on a 99 mph sinker.
Jonah Heim had a really good bat for the A’s, despite the losing effort. Heim, who went 3-for-4 at the plate, hit a home run in the bottom of the second inning.
A’s first baseman and slugger Nick Kurtz left the game in the first inning after taking a fastball to the elbow.
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The A’s fell to 45-63 and have the second-worst record in the American League West and AL overall. Their next game is Thursday, July 30 against the Red Sox at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. PT (9:40 p.m. ET).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox get 10-inning win vs. A’s in homecoming for Nick Sogard
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