OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Jacob Wilson’s single with one out in the ninth inning gave the Oakland Athletics a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in the opener of their final series at the Coliseum.
Zack Gelof stole second after leading the inning off with a single, and Wilson hit the first pitch he saw off Josh Sborz (2-2) into center field for the A’s eighth walk-off of the season. A’s closer Mason Miller (2-2) escaped a first-and-third jam with one out in the top of the ninth to keep the game tied.
Wilson, a 22-year-old rookie, said it was special that he could possibly record the last walk-off hit at the Coliseum, the A’s home since 1968.
“That would be pretty cool to know that my first (walk-off hit) was the last one here,” Wilson said.
Jonah Heim evened the score with a solo homer in the eighth after Gelof had given the A´s a 4-3 lead in the sixth with a sacrifice fly. Brandon Lowe´s solo home run cut a 3-1 deficit in half in the fourth, and Texas tied the game in the fifth when Heim was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Tyler Soderstrom had a pair of doubles for the A´s and scored a run.
A loud “Sell the team! Sell the team!” chant rang out in the eighth inning and again when Wilson was being interviewed after the winning hit from the announced crowd of 30,402. The A´s, who will relocate to Sacramento next season ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, rank last in MLB in attendance this season but have averaged nearly 28,000 fans over their last four home games. The final game at the Coliseum on Thursday is sold out.
“It´s a pretty emotional week … with everything that´s going on the next couple days,” Wilson said. “But we´re going to try and make it as special as we can with the fans and obviously the city, and tonight was pretty special.”
