Lawrence Butler clubbed three two-run homers to headline a historic offensive performance from the Oakland Athletics, who put together an 18-3 drubbing of the host Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Butler became the second Oakland player to smack three home runs in a game this season, joining Shea Langeliers, who accomplished the feat on April 9 against the Texas Rangers.
Brent Rooker added a pair of two-run blasts and Seth Brown had two solo shots as the Athletics won for the third time in five games. Zack Gelof put the finishing touches on the stunning power display with a grand slam in the ninth.
The Athletics matched a single-game franchise record with their eight home runs.
Rooker ended up finishing with five RBIs thanks to a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
The home run parade provided more than enough run support for A’s starter Joey Estes (4-4), who yielded three runs (two earned) on four hits in six innings. Estes walked one and struck out five.
Trea Turner smacked a solo home run as part of a 2-for-2 day for Philadelphia. Alec Bohm also had two hits — a pair of doubles – and scored a run as the Phillies lost for just the second time in six games.
Orion Kerkering served as an opener for Philadelphia, tossing one scoreless inning before Oakland turned the game into a rout against Michael Mercado (1-2).
After Turner’s blast put the Phillies up 1-0 in the first, the Athletics teed off against Mercado. Rooker launched his first two-run homer in the fourth, and Butler followed with a two-run blast of his own an inning later.
Rooker got to Mercado for another two-run shot in the sixth, chasing the right-hander from the game. Seranthony Dominguez took over and retired the first batter he faced, but Brown then deposited a fastball over the right field wall to make it 7-1.
Mercado gave up six runs and five hits in four-plus innings.
Philadelphia got two runs back in the home half of the frame when Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly plated Bryce Harper and Bohm also scored on the play thanks to a throwing error from left fielder Miguel Andujar.
However, Butler quickly re-established the Athletics’ six-run lead, as his two-run shot in the seventh made it 9-3.
Brown’s second solo home run and Butler’s third long ball both came in the eighth, extending the Oakland advantage to 13-3.
Brown had a run-scoring single in the ninth ahead of Gelof’s grand slam.
–Field Level Media
