The Oakland Athletics bunted their way to victory over the Houston Astros in 12 innings at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night.
Literally.
The Athletics laid down four bunts in the game, including three consecutive bunts in the top of the 12th inning, en route to the eventual 4-3 win.
With the score tied at 2 and second baseman Zac Gelof on second in the top of the 12th inning, Athletics outfielder Daz Cameron laid down a perfect bunt down the third-base line that was gloved by Astros catcher Victor Caratini, who had no throw to first. With Cameron at first and Gelof on third, Oakland decided to run the strategy back.
Max Schuemann bunted towards Astros pitcher Hector Neris, who appeared to lose his footing as he fielded the ball, resulting in a feeble throw home—and a run-scoring sacrifice for Oakland.
Then, infielder Nick Allen delivered the knockout punch: a pop-up bunt that Yainer Diaz narrowly missed catching, allowing Cameron to race home to give the Athletics a 4-2 lead.
Small ball, big results 🤷 pic.twitter.com/dEtmWjcLlJ
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 11, 2024
Unconventional? Certainly. But the Athletics' small-ball approach undoubtedly effective and was well-executed, as manager Mark Kotsay noted. And it was also aided by Houston's less-than-stellar defense.
"We just didn’t do a good job of handling the ball there in that inning," Espada told The Mercury News after the game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Athletics Bunt Three Straight Times in Extra-Innings Win Over Astros.
