Featured

Lowrie’s Walk-Off Single, A’s Stay Alive

Published

11 years ago

September 6, 2014

Oakland, CA – It was familiar, it’s something they’re used to and today they fought back to victory. In a much need win, the A’s rallied back in the ninth inning behind Jed Lowrie’s walk-off single to beat the Astros 4-3 and even the series while staying alive in the pennant race.

“We’ve won many games like that this year, so hopefully they remember the feeling” said manager Bob Melvin. “It hasn’t been a great feeling, and we haven’t looked like we’ve had the fight that we normally do. We’re not playing very well all the way around, so hopefully a game like that can spur something.”

Down by two runs headed to the bottom of the ninth. Josh Donaldson leadoff with a single and Adam Dunn flew out to center field. Derek Norris singled up the middle and Billy Burns came in to pinch-run for him. Josh Reddick doubled of the center field wall and tied the game after driving in two runs.

“I made it look harder than it was,” Reddick said. “I knew where everyone was playing, I just got conscious about the ball and it wasn’t hit super hard. I kind of hesitated for a second, then hit third, and the next step after third I tripped over myself so, I had to gain my footing again, so I made it a lot closer than I should’ve. But it doesn’t matter how you do as long as you cross the plate before the ball gets there.”

Closer Chad Qualls unraveled in the ninth allowing Oakland’s offense to dominate. Lowrie who fell behind on Qualls, 0-2, found an opening and hit a single driving in Reddick for the win. Lowrie recorded his first walk-off RBI this season and the team recorded their nine walk-off win of the season.

“I feel like if you don’t experience that, then you never really had the A’s experience,” Lowrie said. “That’s something you welcome, not in many situations, but in that for sure.”

“It’s been happening all year, and I’m tired of it,” said Qualls. “Four of my five losses are against them, four of my five blown saves are against them. I’m over it. On the words of Pedro Martinez, ‘In 2014 the Oakland A’s are my daddy.’ What do you want me to do?”

The A’s scored their first run in the third. An error at shortstop allowed Sam Fuld on, Eric Sogard followed with a single and Coco Crisp hit a single to load the bases off Scott Feldman. Brandon Moss’ sacrifice fly scored in their first run making it a 1-0 game but Josh Donaldson hit into a double play to end the inning.

“I was able to attack the strike zone early, ” Scott Kazmir said. “Throwing my cutter a little bit more which helped me out a lot. The sixth and seventh inning, a couple of pitches, didn’t get the result I wanted and it cost me. But a win like this is something that can kick start us and give us that push that we need.”

Kazmir allowed his first hit in the sixth, a bloop single to Carlos Corporan to leadoff the inning. An infield single from Jonathan Villar put two on with no outs. Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly moved Corporan to third. Jose Altuve’s double RBI put the Astros up 2-1. Altuve’s extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.

In the seventh, Kazmir loaded the bases with three walks. He was chased off the mound and the bullpen came in. Dan Otero took over, Grossman hit a sacrifice fly extending the Astro’s lead 3-1. And that would be it for Houston. Oakland’s defense shutdown their offense for good.

“Anytime you go into the ninth winning 3-1 it’s tough when they come back and win the ballgame,” said Astro’s manager Tom Lawless. “But that’s baseball.”

The A’s are in a tight race, they are 5 1/2 back from first place in their division behind the Anaheim Angels who play tonight. They are 2 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card race, the Mariners also play tonight. After this win, Oakland has regained their confidence back and will continue to take it one game at a time.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

New Children’s Book Celebrates Civil Rights Movement

Don't Miss

Mack’s Will Cherry Placed On Top, Signs NBA Contract

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”