Jerry Blevins isn’t among the better-known Oakland A’s players, but he’s been a member of the team going back the longest time. Blevins first came up in 2007, and since then, he has been mostly a middle reliever and lefty specialist.
On Tuesday, Blevins had what he called the “biggest moment of my career,” and well, there’s little doubt that’s true.
After closer Grant Balfour — who had converted each of his previous 10 save opportunities — walked the first two Los Angeles Angels batters of the ninth inning, then gave up RBI singles to Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols, Blevins took over. This was the almost impossible situation he had: the potential tying run at third, the potential winning run at first, nobody out, and Oakland clinging to a 6-5 lead.
With the infield back and the A’s conceding the tying run to try to get an out, Blevins struck out Kendrys Morales, and then he got Howie Kendrick to hit into a double play.
It was Blevins’ first save of the season and second of his career.
The A’s have won 11 games in a row on the road, tied for second longest in Oakland history. They have won the first two games of the crucial series at Anaheim, giving them a 4 1/2-game lead on the Angels in the AL wild-card race.
The A’s have a two-game edge on the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, who are tied for the AL East lead and the second wild-card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays are another two games behind New York and Baltimore.