OAKLAND -- Coming off Monday’s frustrating loss in extra innings, Tony Kemp couldn’t help but feel as if he had let his teammates down. Not only had he committed a costly error that led to a two-run inning; he’d also made the final out in the 10th inning on a flyout that stranded the tying run at second base.
Arriving at the Coliseum on Tuesday afternoon short of sleep after agonizing over his mistakes throughout a restless night, all Kemp wanted was a shot at redemption. Provided with an opportunity later in the game, he ensured that a second night of frustration wasn’t going to happen.
Stepping to the plate against James Karinchak with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Kemp pounced on the first pitch he saw, sending it to right for a single that scored Ryan Noda from second to secure a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Guardians.
“I made that error last night and lost some sleep over that,” Kemp said. “You just have to stay in the saddle. Continue to grind it out with your teammates. Today was a new day.”
Though he only had a couple of previous encounters with Karinchak, Kemp had seen enough to come up with a scouting report. Aware of the right-hander’s devastating curveball, he came to bat looking to attack the first fastball he saw. Sure enough, he got one on the first pitch.
“He’s got a really good heater that plays up in the zone,” Kemp said of Karinchak. “My plan was just to swing over his heater. I really just wanted to stay on top of it and I ended up hitting a line drive. … He’s a guy you definitely don’t want to get behind in the count against. I was just trying to get a fastball early, and it worked out for us.”
While Kemp came away the hero and receiver of Oakland’s first Gatorade bath of 2023, he made sure to give some shine to Noda. One night after recording his first two big league hits, the rookie first baseman led off the inning by working a five-pitch walk against Karinchak.
“You can’t say enough about what Noda did right there,” Kemp said. “That walk ended up being the game-winning run. To have a mature at-bat like that late in the game against a good reliever, that shows a lot of promise.”
Resilience has been a theme for the A’s in their first two wins of the season. On Opening Night, they hung tough facing Shohei Ohtani on the mound before mounting a late-inning comeback against the Angels’ bullpen.
Tuesday’s victory had a similar feel. After scratching together three runs off Cleveland ace Shane Bieber, the A’s received major contributions from their bullpen. In relief of JP Sears, who allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings in his season debut, the group of Zach Jackson, Dany Jiménez, Sam Moll and Trevor May put up zero after zero, holding the Guardians hitless over the game’s final 4 1/3 innings.
“They did awesome,” Sears said of the four relievers. “It was fun to watch. Zach cleaned up that [fifth] inning for me. They pounded the zone. [Cleveland is] a really good team over there, that’s hard to strike out and get out.”
Since taking over as manager before the 2022 season, Mark Kotsay has worked towards building an identity for his team: a group that never gives up, that will put up a fight until the very last out. That developing culture showed through in Tuesday’s win, and even Monday’s tough loss, which bodes well for a young ballclub that aims to take a big step forward in ‘23.
“The biggest thing is resiliency and the fight,” Kemp said. “That’s what an Oakland A is. A never-give-up attitude. Always grind it out. I think the younger guys who are new to this team are really figuring that out fast.”
Martín Gallegos covers the A's for MLB.com.
