Dustin Garneau's ground-rule double with two out in the bottom of the ninth drove home Brian Goodwin with the winning run for the Los Angeles Angels in a 10-9 win over the Oakland A's on Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Garneau, a backup catcher who has spent most of the season in the minor leagues, entered the game in the top of the ninth after starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the eighth.
With Goodwin on second after his two-out single and stolen base, Garneau lifted a fly ball to left field off A's reliever Lou Trivino (2-4). With the outfield playing shallow, left fielder Robbie Grossman had a long way to go to reach the warning track and wasn't able to make a play, the ball bouncing off the warning track and over the fence.
Grossman led Oakland's offense with four hits, while Mike Trout, Tommy La Stella and Shohei Ohtani homered for the Angels.
Oakland trailed 8-7 going into the eighth but tied the game on an RBI single by Matt Olson that scored Marcus Semien and sent Matt Chapman to third.
Angels reliever Hansel Robles then threw a slider in the dirt that scooted about eight feet away from Lucroy. Chapman broke for the plate as Lucroy retrieved the ball, and both players converged at the plate, each with a head-first dive, and Chapman was called out.
But after a replay challenge, the call was overturned and Oakland had a 9-8 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Angels put runners on first and second with two out, bringing Trout to the plate. A's manager Bob Melvin decided to walk Trout intentionally, loading the bases, and brought in left-hander Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitting Ohtani.
Melvin's move backfired as Ohtani walked, forcing home a run and tying the game at 9-9.
The Angels scored first when La Stella hit the second pitch of the game thrown by Oakland opener Joakim Soria over the fence in right field, giving the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Angels opener Cam Bedrosian threw a scoreless first inning, but the Oakland offense unloaded on scheduled starter Felix Pena for four runs in the second inning and three more in the third for a 7-1 lead.
The Angels, though, quickly got back into the game with a four-run third inning against A's pitcher Daniel Mengden, highlighted by a two-run homer from Trout. The Angels then went ahead 8-7 in the fourth inning on Ohtani's three-run homer off Yusmeiro Petit.
--Field Level Media
Oakland | LA Angels | |
Joakim Soria | Player | Cam Bedrosian |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
1.0 | IP | 1.0 |
2 | Strikeouts | 2 |
2 | Hits | 0 |
9.00 | ERA | 0.00 |
Oakland | LA Angels | |
Robbie Grossman | Player | Tommy La Stella |
4 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 1 |
6 | TB | 6 |
.800 | Avg | .750 |