Jeff McNeil beat out an RBI infield single with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Athletics a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in West Sacramento, Calif.
McNeil hit a slow roller toward shortstop off Toronto’s Louis Varland (5-5) and legged out the hit as Donovan Walton scored from third. The Athletics were helped by two Varland walks in the inning while winning for the fifth time in the past six games.
Henry Bolte homered, stole three bases and scored three times for the A’s (58-87). He also walked three times and reached on an error. Zack Gelof added two RBIs, two runs and two steals.
The Athletics were two outs away from winning in the top of the ninth before Andres Gimenez jumped on a low curveball from Hogan Harris (4-2) and slammed it 415 feet over the fence in right to tie the game 5-5.
Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto also hit homers for the Blue Jays (72-73), who are one game behind the Cleveland Guardians (73-72) for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot.
Dylan Cease struggled against the Athletics, who took advantage of his slow leg kick to steal five bases during his five innings. The Toronto ace allowed five runs (four earned), four hits and two walks while striking out six to match his career high of 227 strikeouts.
Athletics starter Jacob Lopez retired 14 straight Blue Jays during one stretch. He was charged with four runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, with one walk and one strikeout.
Bolte walked and stole second to start the bottom of the first inning and moved to third on a flyball. Gelof followed with a ground-rule double down the left field line to score Bolte.
Carlos Cortes reached on a two-out infield single to put runners on the corners. Cortes then broke for second and stopped two-thirds of the way as Gelof broke for home. Toronto third baseman Okamoto dropped the ball during the ensuing rundown, allowing Gelof to score.
The Blue Jays responded in the second inning when Kirk hit a solo homer to right.
In the third, Bolte walked and stole second and third. Gelof hit a one-out grounder to third, and Bolte beat Okamoto’s throw to the plate to give the A’s a 3-1 lead.
Gelof followed by stealing second and third before Cortes hit a two-out RBI single to right.
Leading off the fifth, Bolte went the opposite way with a Cease fastball to drop it over the fence in right and make it 5-1.
Toronto rallied in the seventh as Okamomto hammered Lopez’s second pitch of the inning and it traveled 423 feet to left. Nathan Lukes and Ernie Clement followed with singles, and Gimenez stroked an opposite-field RBI double to left to end Lopez’s outing.
Pinch hitter Josh Smith produced a sacrifice fly off Luis Medina to move Toronto within 5-4.
