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OAKLAND -- Yoenis Cespedes has been hit by a pitch threetimes in his first seven Major League Baseball games, but the latest onedoesnt sting quite as bad.Kansas City Royals closer Jonathan Broxton nailed Cespedes to load the bases inthe bottom of the twelfth inning, then hit designated hitter Jonny Gomesjust below the waist for the As first walk-off hit by pitch since 2002.Today was a good character check for the team and luckilywe came out on top, Gomes said.With the 5-4 extra innings win, the As took the series from the Royals andimproved to 3-4 on the young season.
INSTANT REPLAY: A's 5, Royals 4 (12)
The difference between 3-4 and 2-5 is big, As manager Bob Melvin said. Itgets us that much closer to .500 so its a big win for us. You like to seeearly in the season some tenacity in coming back.The As were two outs away from a 2-5 record and a seriesloss after the Royals took a 4-3 lead in the top of the twelfth inning on BillyButlers RBI double off Andrew Carignan. But Broxtons inability to find thestrike zone let the A's off the hook.Broxton started off on the right track, with a strikeout of Daric Barton, butthings started to unravel after pinch-hitter Seth Smith reached first on anerror by shortstop Alcides Escobar. Back-to-back walks to Jemile Weeks and EricSogard loaded the bases and set the stage for Coco Crisps RBI fielders choiceand the consecutive hit by pitches that dropped the curtain on Wednesdaysmatinee game.After standing in the box to watch a tape-measure shot off the Mariners JasonVargas on April 6, Cespedes was drilled by Seattle ace Felix Hernandez in thenext game and said he was positive that Hernandez hit him intentionally.Despite giving Broxton a long stare down before trotting to first base, Cespedes said after Wednesday's game that the latest bean ball,which hit his left wrist, didnt offend him.You can see he was wild, Cespedes said through his translator. When asked if he thought the ending to the series wasa little abnormal, Cespedes response needed no translation: Si. Mucho.While Cespedes had no beef with Broxton, Brandon McCarthy, Wednesdays startingpitcher, said that the As might have to send a message in order to protecttheir Cuban slugger.Whether its intentional or not, weve got to let the opponent know that wewill protect him, McCarthy said after allowing two runs in six innings of work.Cespedes co-signed that mentality, saying that if the As dont return thefavor at some point, opponents will continue to do it.Gomes is also no stranger to the bean ball. He was hit 14 times as a rookie in 2005 and ranks second all-time in Tampa Bays franchise history with35. He also was the last player to win a game with a hit by pitch whenthen-Phillies reliever Brad Lidge hit Gomes, a WashingtonNational at the time, on Aug. 21, 2011.Its a lot easier than hitting 98 MPH, Gomes said ofabsorbing Broxtons game-ending four-seam fastball. You can hit me four times;if we win Im fine with it.Gomes didnt just contribute by sacrificing his body. His fourth inning homerun after a Cespedes walk gave the As a 3-2 lead just after the Royals had jumpedahead 2-1 in the top of the frame.It was Gomes second home run as an Athletic, the first coming in Japan, and hesaid he benefited from Cespedes distracting Royals starter Bruce Chen.After five or so pick off attempts, I was hoping his armangle would be different and luckily it was and he left a fastball up, Gomessaid.Chen was right to pay close attention to Cespedes after he single-handedly putthe As on the board in the second inning. He doubled to lead off the inning,then took off for third for his first big-league stolen base attempt. WhenRoyals catcher Brayan Penas throw sailed into left field, Cespedes came homefor the games first run.While the As were happy to put five runs on the board after combining for justone in the series first two games, they are aware that they cant depend onhit batsmen for runs.We expect to swing the bat better, Melvin said. When youre not getting bighits it gets contagious. But a comeback win should help.The As were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and struck out 12 timesin the series finale. If not for Brian Fuentes, the As wouldve been able to start planning for Thursday's day off a lot sooner. Fuentes, who Melvin said before the game would be his first optionto close if Grant Balfour was unavailable at any point this season, served up aseventh inning home run to Alex Gordon that led to extra innings.The day off before the start of a three-game series in Seattle couldnt come ata better time for the As. In addition to playing extra frames Wednesday, twoAs players had to leave the game with injuries.Cliff Pennington was replaced by Sogard in the top of the seventh inning afterfouling a ball off the inside of his left knee cap. In the bottom of theeighth, Josh Reddick absorbed a pitch off his shoulder, which then ricochetedoff his jaw, and had to be helped off by a trainer.I opened my eyes and saw spotty light, Reddick said, before adding that hepassed all tests and expects to play Friday.Mevin said both Reddick and Pennington are day-to-day and should benefit fromthe day off.The As are back at it Friday in Seattle, with Bartolo Colon starting oppositeHernandez. In their eighth game of the year, the As will face the Mariners ace for thethird time already this season, but that doesnt faze Melvin.We scored some runs on him last time, we just didnt prevent them from scoringenough, Melvin said. Were used to Felix.Odds and ends: Cespedes has reached base and struck out inall seven As games this seasonRoyals right fielder Jeff Francouer bought 20personal pizzas for the fans in section 149 after getting involved in theirBacon Tuesday tradition, which started last yearThe last As walk-off hitby pitch came on July 20, 2002, when Dave Burba beaned Olmedo Saenz to giveOakland a 6-5 victory over the Rangers.
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