A’s end game with fireworks before they shoot off fireworks

On a night in which the 25,238 fans in attendance waited patiently for the conclusion of the game in order to storm the field and watch a fireworks show, the A’s provided a little excitement of their own.

With the A’s down, 2-1, heading into the ninth inning against Joe Nathan, one of the premier closers in the Majors, it seemed as though the only cheering the fans would be doing would come after the game.

The A’s, however, had a different plan, as they shocked the Twins with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night at McAfee Coliseum.

Shortstop Bobby Crosby, who had two of the A’s six hits, led off the ninth inning with a single into left field. Then, Nathan, who is usually one the league’s most composed closers, lost his cool. Nathan hit Emil Brown to put runners on first and second with no outs and then threw the game away.

With Ryan Sweeney at the plate squared around to sacrifice bunt, Nathan fired home and Sweeney did as instructed, placing a bunt down the third-base line. Nathan, however, rushed his throw to third, trying to cut off Crosby, and sent the ball into the A’s bullpen in left field, allowing the tying and game-winning runs to score.

“I was shocked. He would’ve had to make a perfect throw to third in order to get Bobby,” said Brown of Nathan’s decision to throw to third instead of getting the sure out at first. “The play was in front of me, so when I saw the ball get away, I wasn’t going to stop.”

Crosby, who slid hard at third trying to break up the play, said he was surprised Nathan tried to get him out.

“I saw it was going to be a close play so I was going hard into third base,” Crosby said. “I saw the ball get away, and when I crossed home, I was just hoping Emil was behind me, and he was.”

A’s manager Bob Geren was pleased with his team’s aggressive play in the ninth inning. Geren said he thought Sweeney’s bunt was placed perfectly and was surprised when he saw Nathan turn and throw to third.

“I really didn’t think he had a play at third. When he turned to throw to third, I knew it was going to be close,” Geren said. “Emil was going hard and he felt he could make it. That was good judgment.”

Besides the A’s ninth-inning rally, there wasn’t much to cheer about in this one. Twins’ starting pitcher Francisco Liriano was on point, cruising through seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six.

The A’s only run off Liriano came in the fifth inning, when Jack Cust hammered a fastball over the fence in right field to cut the Twins lead in half.

“He’s one of those guys that throws the fastball inside to lefties and I got a hold of that one,” said Cust, who has now hit homers in back-to-back games for the fourth time this season.

A’s starting pitcher Dallas Braden was sharp as well, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Braden pitched out of several jams and received some solid support on defense. His only major mistake of the game came in the fifth inning, when he hung a slider to Denard Span, who drilled a two-run homer into the right-field bleachers.

“He’s one of those batters that just seems to be seeing everything really well,” Braden said. “I got a slider up in the zone a bit and he got it.”

Reliever Huston Street pitched solid eighth and ninth innings to earn his fifth win of the season. Street struck out three of the six batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit, keeping the A’s in the game.

With the win, the A’s continue to play spoiler to the Twins, who had a chance to take over first place in the American League Central.