PIE-derman and the A's walk-off for the 13th time

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OAKLAND -- Around midnight things start getting loopy at the Oakland Coliseum. As the crowd of 30,169 started thinning out, the loyal people that did stay were treated to fireworks, the A's MLB-leading 13th walk-off win, and a pie-slinging Spiderman -- or PIEderman rather. Yup, you read that last sentence correctly. After Coco Crisp ended the game in the bottom of the 15th with a sacrifice fly to score Jemile Weeks, he was showered with two coolers, and then wore two pies like earmuffs delivered by a costumed hero who's hidden identity must have been Josh Reddick. "Today it was a little different because we had costumes involved," Crisp said after the A's 5-4 win. "I don't know how to respond to that one quite yet. We'll see what the critics have to say because that is new to baseball right there."Weeks was in position to score because he led off the inning with a ringing triple down the right field line. Mercifully, Crisp wasted no time driving him home on a 1-1 fastball that he hit just deep enough to center field. One run was enough to win the game in the bottom of the 15th, because in the top of the 15th Eric Sogard made a spectacular ranging play to save a run. With two runners on base he scooped up the ball backhanded then flipped it to third baseman Brandon Inge for the force out. Instead of the go-ahead run scoring it ended up being an inning-ending play. "Not only did it save the game it gave us momentum coming back into the dugout," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It juiced us up a little bit. When he made that play we came into the dugout and Weeks right away lines the ball over the first baseman's head for a triple."The story of the game was supposed to be Dan Straily making his Major League debut, by the time the game ended that was yesterday's news. Straily threw six innings, allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly, and struck out five batters. With his family and friends in attendance and a packed crowd at the Coliseum -- needless to say he was a little worked up before the game."I didn't throw a strike in my warmups I was just all over the place," Straily said. "It's been a surreal experience. Something that's been a dream come true, having my debut night be a walk-off win could not have been any better. Got pretty much every experience possible tonight." Fortunately Straily settled down when the game started. He fired a first pitch strike to Brett Lawrie then finished him off by striking him out looking on a fastball. He got a game ball for his first pitch and for his first strikeout. He said he and his fiance Amanda will treasure the keepsakes. Straily didn't get his first career win because Jeff Mathis hit a game-tying walk-off homer in the ninth inning off Ryan Cook. The A's All-Star closer has now allowed six runs in his last six games. His six blown saves are tied for the most in the American League. In the end all it ended up costing the A's was a few hours of sleep. The A's are 58-48, back to 10 games over .500 and one and a half games ahead of the Angels for the top A.L. Wild Card spot. After a day in which the team made five roster moves, the shell shocked A's brushed it off and went back to work. Fortunately they didn't forget the Reddi-wip in their lunch boxes. Injury AlertYoenis Cespedes left the game with a sprained right wrist. "He's day to day, not sure," Melvin said of Cespedes. "He is probably doubtful for tomorrow."

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