Every team has that one role player that turns into Barry Bonds against them. For the Oakland Athletics, that’s Jose Siri.
Despite carrying a meager .214/.271/.412 career batting line, the Tampa Bays Rays centerfielder somehow becomes a .282/.356/.667 hitter when facing the green and gold. That includes a two-homer game earlier in the season, the latter of which tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, sent it into extra innings, and gave the Rays the opportunity to steal the win.
Tonight, he took the A’s soul once again. Amidst an eerily symmetrical pitching duel between Joey Estes and Shane Baz, each of whom threw exactly 7 2⁄3 innings of shutout baseball, the Oakland rookie blinked right at the very end.