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Lowrie’s Walk-Off Single, A’s Stay Alive

Published

12 years ago

September 6, 2014

Oakland, CA – It was familiar, it’s something they’re used to and today they fought back to victory. In a much need win, the A’s rallied back in the ninth inning behind Jed Lowrie’s walk-off single to beat the Astros 4-3 and even the series while staying alive in the pennant race.

“We’ve won many games like that this year, so hopefully they remember the feeling” said manager Bob Melvin. “It hasn’t been a great feeling, and we haven’t looked like we’ve had the fight that we normally do. We’re not playing very well all the way around, so hopefully a game like that can spur something.”

Down by two runs headed to the bottom of the ninth. Josh Donaldson leadoff with a single and Adam Dunn flew out to center field. Derek Norris singled up the middle and Billy Burns came in to pinch-run for him. Josh Reddick doubled of the center field wall and tied the game after driving in two runs.

“I made it look harder than it was,” Reddick said. “I knew where everyone was playing, I just got conscious about the ball and it wasn’t hit super hard. I kind of hesitated for a second, then hit third, and the next step after third I tripped over myself so, I had to gain my footing again, so I made it a lot closer than I should’ve. But it doesn’t matter how you do as long as you cross the plate before the ball gets there.”

Closer Chad Qualls unraveled in the ninth allowing Oakland’s offense to dominate. Lowrie who fell behind on Qualls, 0-2, found an opening and hit a single driving in Reddick for the win. Lowrie recorded his first walk-off RBI this season and the team recorded their nine walk-off win of the season.

“I feel like if you don’t experience that, then you never really had the A’s experience,” Lowrie said. “That’s something you welcome, not in many situations, but in that for sure.”

“It’s been happening all year, and I’m tired of it,” said Qualls. “Four of my five losses are against them, four of my five blown saves are against them. I’m over it. On the words of Pedro Martinez, ‘In 2014 the Oakland A’s are my daddy.’ What do you want me to do?”

The A’s scored their first run in the third. An error at shortstop allowed Sam Fuld on, Eric Sogard followed with a single and Coco Crisp hit a single to load the bases off Scott Feldman. Brandon Moss’ sacrifice fly scored in their first run making it a 1-0 game but Josh Donaldson hit into a double play to end the inning.

“I was able to attack the strike zone early, ” Scott Kazmir said. “Throwing my cutter a little bit more which helped me out a lot. The sixth and seventh inning, a couple of pitches, didn’t get the result I wanted and it cost me. But a win like this is something that can kick start us and give us that push that we need.”

Kazmir allowed his first hit in the sixth, a bloop single to Carlos Corporan to leadoff the inning. An infield single from Jonathan Villar put two on with no outs. Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly moved Corporan to third. Jose Altuve’s double RBI put the Astros up 2-1. Altuve’s extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.

In the seventh, Kazmir loaded the bases with three walks. He was chased off the mound and the bullpen came in. Dan Otero took over, Grossman hit a sacrifice fly extending the Astro’s lead 3-1. And that would be it for Houston. Oakland’s defense shutdown their offense for good.

“Anytime you go into the ninth winning 3-1 it’s tough when they come back and win the ballgame,” said Astro’s manager Tom Lawless. “But that’s baseball.”

The A’s are in a tight race, they are 5 1/2 back from first place in their division behind the Anaheim Angels who play tonight. They are 2 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card race, the Mariners also play tonight. After this win, Oakland has regained their confidence back and will continue to take it one game at a time.

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

4 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

6 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.