ANAHEIM -- Jeff McNeil tends to get overlooked in this Athletics lineup in comparison to the potent sluggers residing near the top of the order such as Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker.
On Wednesday night, McNeil’s bat made itself heard loud and clear.
Leading off the bottom of the ninth with the A’s trailing by a run, McNeil lined a game-tying home run over the right-field wall at Angel Stadium off Angels reliever Kirby Yates. That clutch swing helped push the game to extras, where Tyler Soderstrom’s RBI single in the 10th put the A’s back ahead for good in a 6-5 win.
McNeil has long developed a reputation around the league for being a pesky hitter, and his ninth-inning at-bat was textbook. The 34-year-old second baseman got to a 1-1 count against Yates, then fouled off four consecutive pitches to stay alive. On the seventh pitch, McNeil, a known scratch golfer in his free time, looked like he was swinging a driver as he hammered a sweeper below the zone out to right field at a Statcast-projected 364 feet.
While the sweeper was the first he’d seen in the entire at-bat, McNeil was actually expecting an offspeed pitch from Yates.
“He’s pretty much a fastball-splitter guy,” McNeil said. “I fouled off a couple of fastballs kind of anticipating a splitter there. I kind of saw it right out of the hand and I was able to go and get it.”
Yates said he was trying to either backdoor the sweeper or throw it in the dirt.
“I was convicted of the pitch,” Yates said. “I felt like if I threw a good one, I got him. I didn't.”
Dropped into a young A’s clubhouse after he was traded over from the Mets this offseason, McNeil is often the subject of friendly banter for being the “elder statesman” of the group. His experience as a nine-year MLB veteran, however, has proven to be a valuable addition to this squad both on and off the field.
“He’s a grinder,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’s just a baseball guy that this club really values and appreciates. He does a lot of little things, and he shows up and posts every day. He wants to be in the lineup and do whatever he can to help the team win, which is great.”
For McNeil, the transition has been seamless. He’s developed a strong bond and somewhat of a mentorship with double-play partner Jacob Wilson -- who is currently on the injured list -- and is a resource for younger players eager to soak up knowledge from his time playing in countless big games with New York over the years.
“I love this team,” McNeil said. “We’ve got a bunch of great guys here. Since day one, I’ve felt welcome. It’s been just a lot of fun. It’s been fun to go and grind with them every day.”
McNeil’s second homer of the season was critical in more ways than one. Not only did it help the A’s (25-24) maintain sole possession of first place in the American League West, it also marked the first time he’s been presented with the A’s new home run elephant mask and chain this year … kind of.
When McNeil hit his first homer last month in Seattle, he excitedly returned to the A’s dugout under the impression that he would get to don the new mask that had just been introduced a couple of weeks prior. But once he made his way down the high-five line, he gave a look of surprise, yelling, “Where is it?” as teammate Luis Severino stood in front of him empty-handed.
Turns out the mask was left inside the A’s clubhouse, with Severino later running down the stairs and bringing it out for a belated celebration.
On Wednesday night, McNeil received the gold chain from Darell Hernaiz at the top step of the dugout and made his way toward Severino. This time, the right-hander had the black elephant mask ready and placed it over McNeil’s head.
“Finally got the mask,” McNeil said with a laugh. “It was kind of wild, too. I felt like I needed that, so I was super happy it went out.”