OAKLAND -- A's third-base coach Ron Washington was gift-wrapped a foul ball on his birthday Friday night, but in an unexpected and unfortunate way.
In the fifth inning, A's outfielder Billy Burns fouled off a pitch from Astros starter Mike Fiers that shot toward Washington, who took a direct hit to the side of his right shin.
Washington, who turned 64 on Friday, assured reporters after the game he was fine, but A's manager Bob Melvin noted, "For a minute there, it was scary."
"He's going to be a little bit sore tomorrow," Melvin said. "He had nowhere to go, and it was a bullet. You expect a righty to maybe pull one down there, you don't expect a lefty to hit one there, so he was hurting there for a minute, but I'm sure the win makes him feel a little bit better, and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."