Sears flirts with no-hitter in beating Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas — JP Sears carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and combined with three relievers on a one-hitter, Seth Brown homered to supply the game’s only run and the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 1-0 on Thursday.
Sears (1-1) allowed leadoff walks in the first, second and fifth innings before Adolis García ended the no-hit bid by lining a one-out single to left field in the seventh on an 0-2 sweeper. The 28-year-old left-hander was then pulled after throwing 88 pitches. He struck out five, including 2023 World Series MVP Corey Seager three times.
Sears’ longest career start lasted 7 1⁄3 innings, coming on July 4, 2023, in a 1-0 win at Detroit. He said he realized he had a no-hitter in either the fourth or fifth inning.
“It’s something that’s hard to ignore,” he said. “But pitch by pitch, you don’t think about it when you’re out there.”
After García’s single, Austin Adams hit Jonah Heim with a pitch. Pinchhitter Jared Walsh then hit a blooper between the mound and second base. Second baseman Zack Gelof slid while attempting to make the catch but dropped the ball. Adams picked up the ball and threw to third base to force García for the second out. Third baseman Abraham Toro then threw to second, forcing Heim and completing a bizarre inning-ending double play.
“No one was talking, so I just called it,” Gelof said. “Hit my glove. I saw Austin standing right there. He knew what to do.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay called the play the likely “momentum-shifter in the game right there.”
“You’ve just got to be ready in case they don’t call (the infield fly rule),” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “And if it hits the ground, you’ve got to take off.”
Adams and Lucas Erceg didn’t allow hits in their relief stints, and Mason Miller pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
It was the second time this week that Texas was hitless until the sixth inning. Houston’s Ronel Blanco threw 5 2⁄3 no-hit innings in the Astros’ 3-1 win on Sunday night.
The Rangers’ Jon Gray (0-1) gave up two singles in addition to Brown’s homer and walked one with nine strikeouts. The 32-year-old right-hander had pitched only 3 2⁄3 innings in each of his previous two starts.
Brown’s first homer this season, on a 1-0 change-up, was pulled 378 feet, just inside the right field foul pole.
The World Series champion Rangers were shut out for the first time this season. They lost their 2023 finale 1-0 at Seattle, a defeat that cost them the AL West title.
A’s rookie catcher Kyle McCann singled in the third inning for his first major league hit.
Wednesday’s game
RANGERS 6, A’S 2
Cody Bradford struck out seven in another strong start and García had a two-run single among three hits as Texas beat Oakland, stopping a three-game losing streak.
Shea Langeliers struck out twice and grounded out against Bradford, his old college batterymate 100 miles south of the home of the Rangers at Baylor, and finished 0-for-4 a night after becoming the first A’s starting catcher in 99 years with a three-homer game.
Bradford attended high school not far from Globe Life Field, as did Langeliers, who extended his arms after getting called out on strikes in the third and had a conversation with umpire Ramon De Jesus.
Heim had a tiebreaking two-run single for Texas in the first inning as Oakland’s three-game winning streak ended. Tyler Nevin’s first-inning single had given the A’s a 1-0 lead.
Bradford (3-0) allowed only an unearned run along with five hits in 6 2⁄3 innings, including Darell Hernaiz’s first in the big leagues on a single in the seventh.
Zack Gelof homered leading off the eighth against Texas reliever Yerry Rodríguez.
Bradford lowered his ERA to 1.40 with wins in all three starts for the World Series champs. The 26-year-old in his second big league season is just the third pitcher in franchise history to go 3-0 with an ERA of 1.40 or less in his first three starts of a season.
Ross Stripling (0-3) allowed 11 hits and six runs in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander has lost a career-worst eight consecutive decisions after going 0-5 with San Francisco last year. Stripling’s most recent victory was in his final start of 2022 for Toronto.
“He had two innings where a couple of hits fell in and hurt him,” Kotsay said. “I think that’s just the story tonight.”