OAKLAND — Behold the foul ball.
It’s a needless delay to those who want to see the game sped up, providing nothing special for the fans unless one happens to come their way in the stands.
The foul ball gets little respect until a hitter does what Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien did Friday night in fighting off four pitches from side-arming right-hander Darren O’Day to deliver a huge two-out insurance run in a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
When Semien finally got a pitch he could handle, he sent it to left field for a single to drive in Jonathan Lucroy, who had doubled earlier in the inning.