Shea Langeliers gave the Texas Rangers eight reasons to be worried about his play.
Less than a month removed from a memorable three-homer masterpiece in Arlington, the Athletics catcher made franchise history Wednesday at the Coliseum, registering eight RBI in the A’s doubleheader with the Rangers.
The 26-year-old catcher, who now sits in seventh place for most home runs (9) in MLB, broke Reggie Jackson's record for most RBI (8) during a doubleheader in A's history.
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The Texas native was nearly at a loss for words when the stat line made its way into the locker room following Oakland’s 12-11 loss to the Rangers in the second game of the doubleheader, shortly after the A's won the first game.
“That’s crazy,” Langeliers told reporters. “I saw the ball really well today. I thought I put good swings on good pitches to hit.
“[It was] one of those days for me where I came through and got some RBIs on the board for the team. Yeah, all around, just thinking back on the day, it’s just a wild day – both offenses were really getting after it.”
Oakland Athletics
Powered by a three-run seventh inning, the A’s won the first game of the doubleheader 9-4. And Langeliers, in record-setting fashion, led Oakland’s offense, hitting a home run, a triple and a double.
The catcher was a single away of becoming the first A’s player since Mark Ellis in 2007 to hit for the cycle.
Following the doubleheader, while speaking to reporters, A’s manager Mark Kotsay praised Langeliers’ offensive progress.
After all, in just 34 games this season, Langeliers’ 24 RBI put him more than a third of the way to his mark last season (63).
“Shea was locked in Game 1,” Kotsay told reporters. “Obviously, the offensive performance on the day – it’s nice you bring it up – it should be recognized. Again, we talk a lot about Shea’s offense, the progression that he’s made. I think it shows, it continues to show.
“He didn’t necessarily have the best start to the year, but the day that he had today is him trusting the process for over a month and believing what he was doing with his hitting coach. I think we are seeing the results right now.”
Similar to Langeliers, the A's continue on an upward trajectory. Kotsay and Co. are now 6-4 over their last 10 games and are within four games of the Rangers, the leaders of the AL West.
There's no reason to believe that Langeliers' dominance against the Rangers will expire.