Frankie Montas allowed two hits over six innings and the Oakland Athletics threw out two runners at the plate before holding off the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 in their home opener Monday night.
A crowd of 17,503 weathered chilly temperatures to view a matchup between the teams with the two lowest payrolls in the major leagues. Attendance was the lowest for an A’s home opener without COVID-19 restrictions in at least 30 years.
Montas (2-1) struck out five and walked two for his second straight win. He retired 12 of his first 13 batters and did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, giving A’s rookie manager Mark Kotsay his first win at the Coliseum since taking over for Bob Melvin during the offseason.