4:03 AM UTC
Martín Gallegos
@MartinJGallegosOAKLAND – Before stepping out of the A’s dugout in preparation of leading off the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie ballgame on Monday afternoon, Shea Langeliers was stopped by coach Ramón Hernández, who had a message to deliver.
“You don’t get paid to play extra innings,” Hernández told Langeliers. “So why don’t you just go walk it off?”
Langeliers certainly had the power to end it on one swing. He had already flexed his muscle earlier in the game by swatting a 400-foot go-ahead three-run blast off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert in the third.
This time, facing reliever Austin Voth, Langeliers unloaded on a 3-2 sweeper for a rocket, hit 107 mph off the bat. Traveling closely along the left-field line, the only question was whether it would stay fair. Once third-base umpire Todd Tichenor gave the signal, Langeliers flipped his bat and circled the bases in elation.
The 418-foot solo shot -- Langeliers’ first career walk-off hit -- into the Coliseum’s second deck clinched a 5-4 walk-off victory for the A’s.
“I was just hoping it was going to stay fair,” Langeliers said. “Walking out of the box and watching it, it stayed through. In that moment, I didn’t really know what to do. I was just full of excitement. Running around the bases, you feel like a little kid.”
Langeliers continued adding to what is going to go down as one of the most prolific seasons ever produced by an A’s catcher. Bashing his 24th and 25th home runs (23rd and 24th as a catcher), Langeliers surpassed Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane (22 in 1932) for second-most homers as a catcher in A’s history.
“It’s a good thing to have high expectations for myself,” Langeliers said. “I definitely thought I was capable of doing this. I’m just trying to keep it simple day to day and keep putting good at-bats together.”
Langeliers’ power tool has been a standout trait dating back to his days as a top prospect, but that’s only part of what makes the 26-year-old catcher so valuable to the A’s. His presence behind the plate is also a plus, drawing rave reviews from every A’s pitcher who throws to him.
“He’s a beast behind the plate and at the plate,” said A’s starter Osvaldo Bido, who took a no-decision after allowing four runs on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. “We have good communication and are always on the same page.”
Durability is another quality Langeliers continues to demonstrate. He’s now started 105 of Oakland’s 138 games behind the plate, third-most games started by a catcher in the Majors behind only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh (106) and the Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe (107).
“He has this energy about him,” A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s quiet, though. If you don’t know the kid, you’d think he’s probably upset every day. But he’s really determined to go out. He loves to play the game. He loves to be back there. He doesn’t ask for days off. He takes care of his body really well, and that’s important to make sure he’s ready to play.”
Terry Steinbach holds the A’s record for homers as a catcher with 34 in 1996. While it may be difficult to catch the former All-Star, Langeliers certainly views reaching the 30-homer milestone as an objective.
“It’s definitely a goal,” Langeliers said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got a month left in the season. I’m just trying to finish strong and win as many games as we can. When I’m not focused on myself and focused on the team, we play better baseball. That’s the goal this last month.”
The A’s may not have a postseason spot to play for, but they can certainly make life difficult for those who are in that playoff mix. Monday’s series opener was one of several games the A’s will play in September against playoff-contending clubs such as the Mariners, Tigers, Cubs, Astros and Yankees.
More importantly the A’s – now 22-17 after the All-Star break – are looking to rattle off a third consecutive winning month after posting back-to-back winning months in July and August for the first time since 2021.
“It’s kind of the cherry on top of a season like this,” Langeliers said. “We definitely had our downs, but we’re going through the ups right now. We’re proving to the rest of the league that we’re capable of playing good baseball and playing with these good teams. … We’re not backing down coming into this homestand.”
