Pinder is adept at delivering in a pinch
Almost lost in the walk-off celebration Sunday was a clutch moment authored by Chad Pinder, the Athletics' versatile utility player and one of the most valuable pieces on the roster for manager Mark Kotsay.
As the A's continually came up empty with runners on base, it was Pinder who delivered a game-tying pinch-hit single in the eighth inning to tie the score against the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum. When Pinder came to the plate, the A's were 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
Kotsay sent Pinder up to hit for cleanup batter Seth Brown against the left-handed John King with one out, and Pinder singled home Tony Kemp to tie the score. The A's took the lead with help from a throwing error to the plate by former teammate Marcus Semien — only to have the Rangers tie it in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch by closer Dany Jimenez.
The A's would win on Jed Lowrie's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, avoiding a three-game sweep and setting up six games at the Coliseum this week with the A.L. Westleading Houston Astros and surging Boston Red Sox.
It begins with a Memorial Day afternoon game with unbeaten righthander Paul Blackburn (5-0) taking on the Astros' Framber Valdez (4-2).
For Pinder, it was the 21st pinchhit of his career, tying the franchise record set by Matt Stairs from 1996 through 2000. There is no chance Pinder can break Stairs' mark Monday. He's in the starting lineup, playing left field and batting second against the left-handed Valdez.
“Be simple is the best word for it — just try to have a good at-bat and barrel a pitch up,” Pinder told the San Francisco Chronicle. “One of the hardest things to do in the game is come off the bench cold and face a really good reliever like that.”
“Chi gave us a big at-bat for us there,” Kotsay said. “He was the right guy in the right spot. Chad's been in that spot before and just really happy for him to get that hit there in that situation. We try to give these guys the best chance to have success, that was his atbat in that game and gave him a
good chance to get a knock and help the team win.”
Pinch-hitting is only one of Pinder's many roles. Having pitched earlier this month in a blowout loss, Pinder has now played every position except catcher. It's something he said he hopes to do someday, although not in the same day as Bert Campaneris did for the Kansas City A's in a single game on Sept. 18, 1965 as a publicity stunt by owner Charles O. Finley to increase attendance. It drew 21,576 to the park in a 5-3 13-inning loss to the California Angels.
As a pinch-hitter, Pinder's average of .263 (21for-80) exceeds his career average overall of .246 (21-for-80) and he has five home runs and 21 RBIs.