LAS VEGAS -- The Athletics still have three more games to play against the Rockies this weekend in their future home city, but the signature moment of this special six-game Las Vegas Series may have just been produced, courtesy of Lawrence Butler.
Trailing the Brewers by two runs entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Butler put the A’s ahead for good by demolishing the first pitch he saw from right-hander Chad Patrick for a no-doubter that landed well beyond the center-field wall at Las Vegas Ballpark. The go-ahead two-run blast gave the A’s a 4-3 win to secure a series victory over Milwaukee.
Butler’s clutch home run was the third on the night for the A’s and 15th for the series. That matches the franchise record for most home runs in a three-game span. The last instance occurred nearly three decades ago, when sluggers Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Gerónimo Berroa and Terry Steinbach led a 15-homer barrage from June 25-28, 1996.
With offensive production unsurprisingly inflated in the hitter-friendly environment, manager Mark Kotsay noted before the game that this week’s games in Southern Nevada provide an opportunity to build confidence for an A’s lineup that has seen its share of ups and downs. There’s perhaps no hitter on this team in need of a boost of confidence more than Butler, who entered the night batting just .163 with a .489 OPS and homerless since April 29.
One homer does not cure what has essentially been a season-long slump. But for one night, we saw the joy again from Butler, who admired his Statcast-projected 463-foot shot for a few seconds before flipping his bat and yelling into the A’s dugout in elation.