Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Sean Newcomb recorded his first win of the year on Friday night, striking out zero batters. So how did he do it?
With the Athletics down 5-4 to the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the eighth inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Newcomb entered the game out of the bullpen.
With the count at 1-1, the left-hander tried to throw to first base, but the runner ran down.
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Athletics’ Sean Newcomb plays against the Seattle Mariners at the Oakland Coliseum in California on June 4, 2024. (Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
Eventually, Austin Martin was tagged out, ending the inning. Statistically speaking, a batter “faces out” when he is called out or when a runner is called out by a fielder’s choice.
However, since it was Newcomb’s interception that resulted in the out, the batter did not “get on base.”
Then in the bottom of the inning, Shea Langeliers hit a two-run homer off Joan Duran to give Oakland a 6-5 lead.
So with a lead, Oakland brought in their excellent closer, Mason Miller, who got the save, and thus Newcomb got the win despite having to throw two pitches.
Athletics’ Sean Newcomb plays against the San Diego Padres at RingCentral Coliseum on September 15, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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It was the first time in the Athletics’ 124-year history that a pitcher recorded a win without facing a batter — a feat that’s still recorded on the stat sheet as one-third of an inning.
It was Newcomb’s fourth start of the season, but his previous two appearances didn’t go well, as he gave up five runs in a combined 3.1 innings over his previous two starts.
But it’s too early for Newcomb, who posted a 3.00 ERA with the Athletics last year and is in his eighth major league season. He spent his first six with the Atlanta Braves before joining the Cubs during the 2022 season.
Oakland Athletics player Sean Newcomb poses during Picture Day at Hohokam Stadium on Feb. 23, 2024 in Mesa, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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The win improved the Athletics to 29-49 with a slight record, but Minnesota got revenge with a 10-2 win on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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