Rookies make homer history
CHICAGO — In an extraordinary and historic turn of events, three A’s rookies — Matt Olson, Jaycob Brugman and Franklin Barreto — hit their first bigleague homers Saturday against White Sox starter James Shields, one in each of the first three innings.
The three A’s pulled off a feat that never had occurred before in an American or National League game and propelled Oakland to a 10-2 victory at Chicago and the A’s first win in a road series in 10 tries. Not to be outdone by the young hitters — the A’s very own Bat Pack, if you will — rookie starter Daniel Gossett earned his first bigleague victory, allowing two unearned runs in six innings.
“A little peek at the future that is now, right?” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “The more the merrier at this point.”
Olson, called up Thursday for his second stint with Oakland this season, crushed a two-run homer to right with no outs in the first inning. Brugman, called up two weeks ago, homered to right with one out in the second. And in the third, Barreto, promoted to the big leagues for the first time Saturday and in the lineup only because Jed Lowrie was a late scratch, banged a
two-run shot to center with one out.
“It’s great, my first hit a home run. I don’t think I’m ever going to forget it,” Barreto said, with Juan Dorado interpreting.
All three got the home-run balls, plus teammates showered them with beer, ice and baby powder after the game.
“I couldn’t be happier to share the day with those two guys,” Brugman said.
“A lot of special moments for a few guys that we’ve been playing with,” Olson said. “It’s cool to all do it on the same day.”
Olson added another two-run homer in the seventh off Jake Petricka and also walked three times, once intentionally. Barreto, who played second base in his major-league debut, singled and scored in the fifth, and Brugman made a diving catch in the first.
“As a pitcher, selfishly, I reap the benefits of it,” Gossett said. “I can go out there and pitch a little more confident.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Olson, Brugman and Barreto are the second trio of teammates to record their first big-league homers in the same game, but the first time came during a Federal League game April 26, 1914, with the homers by Duke Kenworthy, Art Kruger and John Potts of the Kansas City Packers.
The Federal League competed as a third major league in 1914 and ’15, and its newness certainly would make it more likely that a bunch of teammates would all homer for the first time in an early-season game. In addition, not all baseball experts consider the Federal League a major league, and while six Federal League players eventually made the Hall of Fame, it was for their accomplishments in the National and American Leagues.
Initially, Melvin planned to hold Barreto out because there was no on-field work before Saturday’s game, but Lowrie has a mild knee sprain. Barreto said he got no sleep Friday night and also hadn’t eaten anything Saturday.
“For him to come off a plane this morning and think he’s not in the lineup and the next thing he is in the lineup and do what he did was pretty amazing,” said Melvin, who noted that Barreto had homered in his first-ever spring-training game.
“When I first got here, I was told I had the day off, so I took a breath and tried to relax,” Barreto said. “When they told me I was going to play, I had to regain my focus and get ready for the game.”
Barreto, acquired from Toronto in the 2014 Josh Donaldson deal, might not be with the A’s for a long stay initially. Melvin mentioned that Sonny Gray came up for a short stint before he was later promoted to stay, as did catcher Bruce Maxwell and others.
“It’s nice to get guys here ahead of when there is a lengthier stay involved,” Melvin said.
Barreto, 21, said he hopes to get some family members from Venezuela to Houston for the A’s series that begins there Tuesday.
It was just the second time this season the A’s have won back-to-back games on the road.