Sunday, July 21, 2002
Athletics 6, Rangers 5
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dave Burba hit Olmedo Saenz with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth to score the winning run as the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 6-5 Saturday night.
It was the Rangers' eighth straight loss, their most since a nine-game streak from June 6-16, 2000.
Rafael Palmeiro homered off A's closer Billy Koch in the ninth inning to tie it. The shot to right was Palmeiro's 25th of the season.
With two outs in the ninth, Burba (4-5) walked Eric Chavez and Jermaine Dye. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Burba intentionally walked John Mabry to load the bases for Saenz.
Saenz was hit in the upper arm on a 0-1 count.
Koch (6-1) earned the win despite his fifth blown save.
Miguel Tejada extended his hitting streak to 10-game with an RBI single off Texas starter Rob Bell to put the A's up 1-0 in the first inning.
Kevin Mench hit an RBI single in the third to tie it, then scored on Alex Rodriguez's major league-leading 32nd home run. The shot into the left-field seats came on an 0-2 pitch from A's starter Ted Lilly.
Rodriguez has hit at least 30 home runs in six seasons, the most ever for a shortstop. Ernie Banks had four seasons with 30 or more homers.
He has 273 home runs to rank him third on the career list for shortstops behind Cal Ripken with 345 and Banks with 277.
The A's tied it in the bottom of the third on Chavez's RBI grounder and Dye's sacrifice fly. But Ruben Rivera put the Rangers back on top with his first home run of the season to lead off the fifth inning.
Mabry re-tied for the A's in the sixth with a solo home run off Bell. Terrence Long singled an out later, went to second on Greg Myers' single to center, then third when center fielder Ruben Rivera bobbled the ball.
Long scored on Mark Ellis's single to shallow left and the A's went ahead 5-4.
In honor of the 1972 World Series champion Athletics, the A's wore bright gold and green jerseys.
Several of the players from the 1972 squad were on hand, including Vida Blue, John “Blue Moon” Odom, World Series MVP Gene Tenace and manager Dick Williams.
Known for their infighting as well as their mustaches, the 1972 A's beat the Cincinnati Reds in seven games to win the first of three straight World Series titles.
The Rangers were dressed in the old uniforms of the Washington Senators, who moved to Texas in 1972.
Notes: Texas RHP Hideki Irabu was released from St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City on Friday, where he had been treated since Monday for small blood clots in the arteries of his lungs. He will be examined by Dr. Scott Hunter in Arlington on Monday. ... In the first 11 games after the All-Star break, the Rangers went just 1-10. Five of those losses were by one run, and three were by two.
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Athletics 6, Rangers 5 
