NEW YORK — JJ Bleday hit his first career grand slam, Shea Langeliers reached base five times for the second time in three games and the Oakland Athletics rallied for a 7-6 win over the New York Mets on Thursday in the longest nine-inning game since the pitch clock was introduced last season.
“It felt like the longest game in the pitch clock era,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said with a wry grin.
The game, played on a hot and humid afternoon with the temperature at first pitch reaching 30 degrees, lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes – one minute longer than the previous record set by the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants on April 29, 2023 in Mexico City.
The Athletics and Mets combined to throw 425 pitches, the most in a nine-inning game this season.
Bleday said he was surprised when he looked at the scoreboard in the fifth inning and realized the game was almost two hours old.
“It definitely felt like the longest game of the year,” Bleday said.
Langeliers, who hit 4 for 4 and was hit by a pitch in Tuesday’s 9-4 victory, hit 3 for 4 with a walk and was hit by another pitch on Thursday as the A’s won two of three games against the Mets. Langeliers reached base 11 times in 15 plate appearances in the Series and posted an on-base percentage of .733.
“It’s a lot of fun getting on base,” said a grinning Langeliers. “I just try to keep things as simple as possible, not do too much. I just have to get a good pitch and swing it well. I find that if you keep it that simple, you can string together good days.”
The Athletics, trailing 5-0 in the third inning, won despite setting a season-high 16 runners on base, tying them for the third-most runners left on base in a nine-inning win in franchise history.
Oakland loaded the bases twice in the first three innings against Jose Quintana before Bleday hit a slam in the fourth inning.
“One of the best runs was obviously Bleday’s grand slam,” Kotsay said. “It got the offense going and got us back in the game.”
Tyler Nevin tied the game with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning against Reed Garrett (7-4), two batters before Langeliers scored on a single by Seth Brown.
Tyler Ferguson (1-1) threw 44 pitches in two scoreless innings, his second-best total of the season. Scott Alexander threw 18 pitches for two hits in the seventh inning before Mason Miller threw a season-high 39 pitches, earning the first six-out save of his career and the 18th overall this year.
Miller retired Francisco Alvarez with a liner to center and an 87-mph slider, allowing two runs in the ninth inning.
“I struggled through it,” Miller said. “My slider wasn’t working right at the end, my hand was sweating like crazy and kept slipping out. Getting that out of the way is almost like a sigh of relief.”
Mark Vientos hit two home runs and Luis Torrens hit a two-run single for the Mets, who have lost five of their last six games. New York is two games behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the third NL wild-card spot.
Jeff McNeil had one 11-pitch and one 10-pitch at-bat, while Francisco Lindor also had a 10-pitch at-bat. It’s only the fourth time since 1988, when pitch counting began, that the Mets have had at least three 10-pitch at-bats in a game.
The Mets walked 11 batters, their most since New York allowed 11 against Washington on Sept. 27, 2020. On Thursday, manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner ran out of mound visits in the sixth inning.
The Mets lead the NL with 468 walks.
“It’s hard to win a baseball game when we allow (11) walks,” Mendoza said. “We need to go back and make some quick adjustments here so we can prevent that from happening.”
Mitch Spence allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings for the Athletics. Quintana allowed four runs in four innings.
“When you get that support and you miss the ‘W,’ it’s tough,” Quintana said.
MOTORS
Max Schuemann had an amusing moment in the fourth inning when he ran down the first base line from first to home after a foul ball by Daz Cameron while Alonso and Torrens waited for the ball to stop rolling.
DON’T LIVE THERE ANYMORE
The Athletics, who will play the next three seasons in Sacramento while waiting for a stadium to be built in Las Vegas, finished their time in Oakland with a score of 121-174 as a visiting team in New York.
TRAINING ROOM
Mets: OF Brandon Nimmo (stomach ailment) did not play. … RHP Sean Reid-Foley (right shoulder) was held out for a few days after the ball didn’t feel right coming out of his hand during a rehab stint.
Next
Athletics: After a rare off day on Friday for Oakland, RHP Osvaldo Bido (3-3, 3.92 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday in the opener of the two-game interleague series against the San Francisco Giants, who have not yet announced a starter.
Mets: A nine-game home series continues Friday when LHP Sean Manaea (8-6, 3.44 ERA) opens a three-game series against the Miami Marlins, who will counter with RHP Roddery Muñoz (2-6, 5.67 ERA).
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