Losses don’t get much worse than what the A’s went through Monday night.
On the verge of history as pitcher J.T. Ginn headed out for the ninth inning needing just three outs for a no-hitter — the first in MLB since September 2024 — all it took was six pitched for everything to fall apart.
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Adam Frazier led off the ninth inning with a single, ending the no-no. But rather than pull Ginn, who was already over 100 pitches at the point, A’s manager Mark Kotsay elected to stick with his starter in that moment.
What a wrong decision that turned out to be.
Angels star shortstop Zach Neto made Kotsay, Ginn and the A’s pay when he hammered a 2-0 sinker 413-feet to dead center for the walk-off blast.
“It’s just a crazy game we play, you know?” Ginn said postgame. “I fell behind 2-0, threw a good sinker, and [Neto] was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. Tip your cap to him.”
“It’s awesome,” Neto said postgame. “I feel like my swing’s starting to come around a little bit. Today was a really good feeling, getting one against a tough pitcher. Ginn had his stuff working today, and he just so happened to leave one up and out over, and I took advantage of it.”
It was a much-needed victory for the Angels, who entered Monday night on a six-game losing streak and with the worst record in the majors. Despite the win, the Angels still own the worst recored in baseball at 17-31.
“That was a heavy one,” Neto added. “Six-game losing streak. That one was big for us, not only me, but for the team; just to get it off our shoulders, and go to sleep good tonight. And be able to enjoy it, and come in tomorrow with a better attitude. We still trust each other.”
For the A’s, they’ve now lost six of their past eight game. However, they remain in first place in the AL West at 23-24, one game ahead of the Mariners.
These two meet again Tuesday night in Anaheim. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
