OAKLAND — A's right fielder Stephen Piscotty has no doubt he would have caught the ball. Neither does manager Bob Melvin.
With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, and the A's leading 4-1, Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons skied a foul ball down the right field line. That's when the Coliseum experienced its Steve Bartman moment, as a fan reached over the railing and deflected the ball away from Piscotty. Given new life, Simmons would single home two runs, sparking a six-run inning, as the Angels beat the A's 9-7.
“He was going to catch it,” Melvin said after the game. “I'm not sure what they saw that we didn't see.”
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“As an outfielder, you have a good idea when that ball is coming in close where to put your glove, and I felt like I was in the spot,” Piscotty added. “It's a tough play going into the wall, but I felt like I was there in enough time. It definitely changes how that inning goes, but there's nothing we can do about it now.”
Melvin challenged the ruling, asserting fan interference, but after video review, the call on the field stood.
“We've seen him catch that ball in the corner many times,” Melvin said of Piscotty. “It's not going to be an easy play, and maybe that was the overriding factor in New York, that it wouldn't be an easy play and they can't just give you a play like that. Just a guess.”
“I never understand when they're going to overturn stuff,” Piscotty shrugged. “I had a feeling they wouldn't.”
Oakland Athletics
Piscotty added that he didn't blame the fan. “Obviously we don't want folks to interfere, but 95 percent of people are gonna do that. I don't fault the fan or anything.”
The A's have lost three straight games for the first time since late July, allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to creep back within 5 1/2 games of the second AL Wild Card spot. But the players remain confident in themselves and each other.
“I think we'll be fine,” said RHP Daniel Mengden. “We've been in every ballgame and we give ourselves a chance to win every time in the late innings. ... I'm not worried about it. I think the team is in a good spot.”
“This team is as talented as they come,” added outfielder Mark Canha. “It's only a matter of time before the ball starts rolling the right direction again. The resilience is still there. There's fight in us. The telltale signs are all there that we're going to bounce back and start getting on a roll here.”
Melvin echoed those sentiments, adding that he appreciated his team's resilience even in defeat.
“It wasn't our cleanest game, but we came back after being down considerably and made it game again. When you talk about bouncing back, it's not necessarily just the next day, it's as the game goes along. I think we showed that.”