Rookies' homers lead A's past White Sox

June 24th, 2017

CHICAGO -- , and each slugged their first career big league homers Saturday as the Oakland Athletics took a 10-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in front of a sellout crowd on the day of Mark Buehrle's jersey retirement at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Olson, Brugman and Barreto each went deep off White Sox starter , who was making his second start since coming off the disabled list with a strained right lat. Olson, the second batter of the game, took the first pitch he saw in the first inning a Statcast-projected 423 feet to right field for the first of his two homers on the day. Brugman knocked a shot just over the wall in right in the second inning and Barreto launched a two-run blast to center in the third. Barreto's homer was also his first career hit, with Saturday being his Major League debut.
"A peek to the future is now, right? I guess that's a record, those three home runs," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It's amazing. These guys have fed off each other all through the system, they know each other really well and have won together. The more the merrier at this point."
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It marked the second time ever three teammates had launched their first Major League home runs in the same game, according to Elias Sports. It was last accomplished in professional baseball history by the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League in 1914 when Art Kruger, John Potts and Duke Kenworthy accomplished the feat. The Federal League played as a third major league during the 1914 and '15 season.
Saturday was also the first time all season Shields had given up multiple homers in a start after allowing a Major League-worst 40 home runs last season. Shields went three-plus innings, allowing six runs on seven hits while walking three on 85 pitches. It marked the first time in five starts he didn't go at least five innings, putting a damper on the game in which he recorded his 2,000th career strikeout.

Oakland right-hander benefitted from the early offense to cruise to his first career win, tossing six innings and allowing just a pair of unearned runs on 93 pitches. His defense didn't help him, as the Athletics extended their Major League lead with three errors -- two of which directly led to runs. Despite the lack of defensive support, the Oakland offense did more than enough to boost the rookie.
"The whole ordeal is a special experience for everyone," Gossett said. "To get out of there with my first win was just the icing on the cake. It was an awesome experience to be a part of."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Just a bit outside: Shields was in trouble from the get-go, in part because of how he lost the first batter he faced. The right-hander had leadoff man Matt Joyce on a 2-2 count, but proceeded to spike a breaking ball in the dirt and miss just outside to walk Joyce. His very next pitch, an 85.5-mph cutter, was driven out of the ballpark by Olson to open up the scoring in what would be a 29-pitch first inning for Shields.

You gone: Athletics shortstop led off the top of the seventh inning with a chopper to third base, which was fielded by before he threw it to at first base. The umpires initially ruled Rosales safe at first and gave Frazier an error, saying Abreu was off the bag. The White Sox challenged the ruling, but it was upheld. After the challenge, Frazier got into a heated discussion with third-base umpire Jim Wolf and was promptly ejected. Manager Rick Renteria was then ejected for the second consecutive game and third consecutive home game for arguing with Wolf, and at one point threw his hat on the ground in protest. It was Frazier's first career ejection, and Renteria's 10th. Renteria now has four ejections this season, tying him with Marlins skipper Don Mattingly among managers for the Major League lead.

"It's frustrating," Frazier said. "You can't get the call right in New York, too, as well. They've got every different angle. They can zoom in. They can zoom in as close as possible and to think that they cannot make that call it's just frustrating with the technology we have today. It's just crazy. It boggles your mind. It really does. You know. I'm the one. I'm vocal. I'm emotional."
Renteria said he grew frustrated and said Frazier -- like , who got tossed Friday -- was too mild-mannered of a guy to have such a short leash with umpires and said he was "pissed" to lose a key member of his lineup.
"Frazier's never been tossed," Renteria said. "Timmy Anderson is the most mild-mannered person you've ever met in your life. Yet he's a competitor. So when you see these guys express themselves in a certain way, consider who they are, what they're about."

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW
Shortly after Frazier's error was upheld, another White Sox error was added to the board through a replay review. Athletics third baseman hit a grounder to short, which Anderson bobbled before throwing to Abreu at first. The Athletics challenged the initial ruling that Healy was out and the call was overturned following a minute-long review. Anderson was charged with an error.

WHAT'S NEXT
A's: Right-hander , who is winless with a 6.43 ERA over his last five starts, will look to turn things around against the White Sox in Sunday's 11:10 a.m. PT series finale at Guaranteed Rate Field.
White Sox: will take the mound looking to turn things around in what has been a rough June. He picked up the quality start in his last home start, but still has a 12.64 ERA this month. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT.
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