Remember way back when the team that just dismantled the Sox were the dregs of baseball?
When Edgar Quero was a lad, he probably dreamed of playing his first major league game in front of a throng of tens of thousands and getting a hit his first time up.
It was close — he played the game in front of a throng of tens, and got hit — by a pitch — his first time up. And just to prove he’s a catcher, he got socked by a couple of foul tips, too.
Quero hit line drives his next two trips to the plate, but both were caught, one by the pitcher behind his back. Then he had a chance to be part of a genuine big league rarity when he led off in the ninth.
Facing Jason Alexander, who apparently needed a new job with Seinfeld royalties running short and had a George Costanza-ish ERA of more than 10, Quero struck out on three pitches. So did Brooks Baldwin. That brought to the plate Andrew Benintendi, who had come off the IL to pinch-hit earlier. Alexander ran the count to 0-and-2 and threw a perfect pitch for what should have been a called strike three and an immaculate inning, which would have made the pitcher’s year — but plate ump Edwin Jiménez chose that time to make his worst call of the game, somehow deciding a pitch well into the strike zone was a ball, as you can see.
It didn’t matter in the game, because the score was 8-0 and Benintendi then flew out, but it sure ruined Alexander’s talking point in bars and at barbecues for the rest of his life.
As for the rest of the game, yuck. Davis Martin gave up back-to-back doubles to start the first, and that was all the A’s would end up needing, though just for the heck of it they added four homers, two triples (both by .100 hitter Max Schuemann, two three-baggers in a game being a heck of a rarity itself), another double and even four measly singles off Martin and three relievers, two of them named Wilson.
Meanwhile, the White Sox offense was its usual self, managing just four singles, three of them off starter JD Sears in six innings and one more off a group of relievers who came in with ERAs of the sort that are supposed to make batters salivate. Or maybe they were salivating and it ruined their vision.
The only two times the Sox threatened came thanks to terrible West Sacramento defense, the biggest chance coming in the eighth when Chicago was only down five. With one out, Luis Robert Jr. hit a grounder to second that 90% of Little Leaguers would have handled easily but Max Muncy booted, followed by an Andrew Vaughn foul out, a Miguel Vargas infield single and a walk to Lenyn Sosa (who also had half the team’s hits on the day), but a pop-up ended the rally.
It probably should be mentioned that Vaughn had a hit (yes, another hit this month). After the TV announcers lamented long and loud how bad his luck had been, he blooped a 70 mph single to right so he managed to end the day hitting .138, two points ahead of Robert’s .136.
The loss is the fourth in a row for the White Sox and gave the A’s a three-game sweep. They head to Boston for a four-game set with a 4-14 record — with of those wins against the Red Sox.