A's get hit from pitcher for first time since 2013

SAN DIEGO -- Never mind that it wasn't the go-ahead run, or even the tying run of Oakland's 6-5 victory over the Padres on Tuesday. The run plated by left-hander Scott Kazmir was cause for the biggest of celebrations in the visitors' dugout.

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"You'd have thought it was the seventh game of the World Series," said A's manager Bob Melvin.

Kazmir's RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning, which gave the A's their first run of the day to cut San Diego's lead in half, marked the first hit by an Oakland pitcher since Tommy Milone singled on June 3, 2013, at Milwaukee.

For Kazmir, who flashed a fist pump at first base while staring into a roaring A's dugout, it was the third hit of his career in 24 at-bats.

"They were pretty pumped," said Kazmir, who used Stephen Vogt's bat. "They got me going. Probably a little too aggressive with the fist pump when I got to first, but I was excited."

"They were going nuts," added Eric Sogard. "I think some pitchers had some bets going already. Those guys were going out of control like we just walked off the game. Big hit in the game, too. Huge hit in the game, so it was awesome."

Kazmir's base hit down the left-field line allowed catalyst Billy Burns to step to the plate, and all he did was triple in two runs.

Video: OAK@SD: Burns triples in a pair to put A's ahead

The consensus in the A's clubhouse was that Burns could've maybe tried for an inside-the-park home run if not trailing Kazmir, who was admittedly nauseous running the bases after entering his five-inning start with a touch of a stomach ailment.

"It just seemed like it was an endless run to get to home plate," said Kazmir. "Once [third-base coach Mike Gallego] said [to] make the turn, I just put my head down and just kept going."

"I don't want to throw him under the bus," said Burns, smiling, "but when I was rounding second, I could tell he hadn't rounded third yet. I was going pretty fast, but I don't know. A lot of props to him just for getting that big hit there to keep the inning going. That was pretty energizing."

Melvin called Kazmir's hit "huge."

"We were down, getting it handed to us, not even hitting too many balls hard, and all of a sudden, Kaz hits a ball down the line, knocks in a run," Melvin said. "And you almost feel like [as] a hitter, if he can do it, I better be able to do it. So it was a big lift for us."