Mark Kotsay, Athletics players recap team's thrilling extra-inning win vs. Cubs

Mark Kotsay, Nick Kurtz and Jeffery Springs discuss the Athletics' 5-4 extra-innings win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

Mark Kotsay, Athletics players recap team's thrilling extra-inning win vs. Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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A's win five to four tonight at Wrigley in extra innings.

The man that delivered the go-ahead run, Nick Kurtz, the reigning Player of the Month.

Nick, what a game, what a performance.

Can you speak on this team's fight to start this road trip?

Yeah, I mean, it's great to come back, you know, eighth and ninth inning, get the job done, get some runs in, and then how about the bullpen closing the door the rest of the game?

That was pretty awesome.

That was awesome indeed.

You came up and got a big knock.

I wanna talk about the shot on to Waveland from our boy, Crank.

Coming off the bench cold, he got a pitch, and he did not miss it.

Take us through the emotion in the dugout when you see that ball sail into the Chicago night.

I mean, I had the best seat in the world.

I was on deck.

I saw it as soon as he hit it.

I mean, I seen him do that countless times.

So really happy for Crank.

That's just, that's just what he does off the bench.

Well, congratulations, my man.

A huge series win, a great way to start the road trip.

Go clap hands with the boys and enjoy another big W. All right.

Thanks, guys.

And it was a big W. Let's get to the Toyota Turning Point.

We're taking you to the top of the t- top of the 10th inning.

Aleka Williams on second.

Jonah Heim does what you need to do.

You need to get the runner over.

Playing baseball, looking for something that he could pull to the right side on the ground, executing a crucial situation.

And who do you want at the plate?

King Kurtz, ladies and gentlemen.

I can beat you any way you want.

I'll shoot you out the yard.

I'll just serve you over to left field and drive in the go-ahead run.

Do you realize he is hitting 487 with runners in scoring position, leads all of Major League Baseball.

Let me say that again.

He's hitting 487.

That's MVP-like stuff.

That's what you call clutch.

this is a guy that thrives in situations when the game is on the line.

There are a lot of guys that shrink up, and they'd rather take a walk and pass the baton- Yeah to the next guy, but I think he embellishes this situation, and he comes through.

I mean, it's almost 500, so flip a coin.

He's either gonna get a hit, the chances are he is, or maybe not, and that's how good he is.

And they put it on the broadcast.

The Cubs are 24 and O when leading after six innings.

This is their first loss.

And for the Athletics, this is win number 16, their 16th comeback win, tied for the most in the American League.

I think these kind hurt the most when you're the Chicago Cubs because you're struggling.

You haven't won at home.

You finally come back in a game where the A's had a lead, and you snatch that away from them and cannot create enough distance where one swing doesn't change the game, and you have to give the A's a tremendous amount of credit.

I mean, they were pretty much crickets from the second inning on, but when they needed to come alive, they came alive in a huge way.

So we just- Obviously a tough start for Jeffrey, but, for you guys responding from the bullpen to the offense, just can you say kind of about the, the way that game played out for you guys at the end?

Yeah, there, there's a lot to break down in that game.

obviously, the bullpen did a, a tremendous job of holding a, a, a score, manageable for us to make a comeback, and the offense for them to, to get some big hits tonight really, you know, obviously the home runs, you know, help.

but, yeah, bats there in the 10th as well, you know, coming off the bench for Heim.

we hit the ball hard all night really, I thought.

even off of Ray in the starter, we had at least seven balls that were hit, you know, above 95 and right at guys.

So, quality at bats, quality pitching.

you know, Jeffrey tonight just, you know, he wasn't getting any chase on the changeup, whether they were recognizing it or it just was ball out of hand.

I think that was probably the, the story of, of Jeffrey's night, just not, not able to really command the baseball as well as he has, and establishing the fastball in to kind of get guys sped up.

but, you know, I mean, he grinded.

He grinded, and, that's what the team's for is to pick each other up, and we saw that.

Colby Thomas there coming off the bench.

he's seemed to perform that role pretty well.

how big was that just momentum-wise, this at-bat?

Huge.

It was a huge at-bat.

You know, obviously Colby's on this roster.

you know, we know the damage he can do against lefties.

it- it's been few and far in between in opportunities.

it's never easy when you don't get consistent at-bats.

you know, but yesterday, the at-bat, I thought off Milner was good and, to get a match-up tonight for him, back-to-back nights with that bat.

His timing was better tonight obviously.

I mean, that ball was crushed, so, huge at-bat for us, big momentum, you know, in the game and, able to get us, you know, back into it really.

You talked yesterday about June hopefully being a, a better month.

can you just talk about the start these last two games getting you in the right direction?

Yeah, no, obviously, start to June's been good.

you know, we've played good baseball these last two games.

You know, the one play that I didn't get to talk about tonight was the Lika play, the, the double play that he turned in the ninth.

Medina walking the leadoff guy, getting a 3-2 count on Suzuki.

that's a backhand ball, in the hole, and to get two outs on that play is, is extremely, well done.

You know, even the, the feed was on the money on a backhand that was halfway down on his knees to make that throw to Jeff, and Jeff getting rid of it quick.

Just that was a huge momentum swing in the ninth inning that, and it gave Medina a lot of confidence, I think, and, and made the, the inning obviously a lot, more efficient for him.

And obviously Nick with, with the RBI, the game-winning single in essence.

Yeah, I mean, you know, for Nick it's, it's tough situation there.

You got, you know, Nick up.

you know, you never want to put more base runners on in, in, in extra innings.

That's, that's a challenge, right?

We talk about how challenging it is to, to just start the inning with a runner on second.

you know, my, my memories of, of Justin, for Sterner coming in and pitching the 10th inning has been a positive.

He seems to excel in that, in that role.

He did last year really well, and, to get a big strike out of Crow was huge.

you mentioned some of the bullpen guys right there.

Six or seven pitchers you used today.

Sterner closing it out on the back end.

Just talk about the impact he's had and, you know, relishing in that role.

Well, I, I meanYou know, this I think might be his first career save.

Yeah.

So, he's, he's a guy that's very dependable.

he's had a lot of success.

He's throwing the ball well.

and again, like I said, I wouldn't take, don't want to take credit from every guy that, that went out there and, and, and maintained a, a deficit for us to overcome.

the two guys not used in the bullpen over Mason Barnett and Cade Morris, who we seem to repeat their names every single day, is, has a decision been made?

Nope.

Don't need to.

Thanks, guys.

I don't know what it was, five, five, six, 85 plus or whatever it was innings of shutout baseball to keep us in that game.

And then, you know, Colby hit the homer in the, in the eighth to get us going.

And then, I mean, it was just like hit, hit, hit, hit after that.

And, so bringing the tying run and then giving us a chance to take the lead in the, in the, extra innings.

For you in the 10th there at the plate, just kind of what are you maybe, going through your mind at the plate kind of approach wise?

What are you trying to do there?

Yeah, probably not take that first sweeper right down the middle would probably be the thing I would do different, but I'm just trying to put something in the air, that infields in.

I know if I hit something hard on the ground, it's got a chance to get through, but, putting something in the air definitely wins.

luckily I got just enough of that ball to sneak it in left field.

Nick, you've been productive here the last two days.

I take it you like, hitting at Wrigley Field.

So far, yeah, it's been going great, so can't complain.

Hey, Rob, just, start the month of June, after a tough May, just a couple of wins and a series victory.

Just how big is that for you guys?

Yeah, it's huge.

I mean, the Cubs, they're, they're a really good team and, and to take two from them in the first two games of the series is huge coming off a May that we're not necessarily proud of.

And that we thought we, you know, could have played a lot better.

especially on the road as well to come here, take two, and then, kind of hope- hopefully it sets a standard for the rest of the month.

Outing that you wanted tonight, just overall, what do you maybe feel is kind of going on out there for you?

just overall not making, I feel like not making good enough pitches.

you know, I felt like I left the ball over the plate to Suzuki.

I mean, thought the slider to, Pisa was a good pitch.

You know, I felt like it kind of, not really sure how that one got out and not how.

But, I mean, overall just, you know, need to make better pitches with runners on especially.

keep the ball in the ballpark, is kind of the, the big takeaway for me.

and just got to go deeper in the game than, you know, three and whatever it was.

I just, I don't know.

I'll go and look at it, but I didn't do my job very well tonight.

obviously Kuno came in there and, and got out of that jam for you.

Just what can you say about him and the rest of the bullpen, the way they kind of held it down?

Oh, did a great job.

I mean, definitely picked me up huge.

I mean, they've been doing a great job all year, I feel like.

you know, they've had to, to wear a lot more than they probably should lately.

but I mean, credit to them.

Like I said, everybody that came in threw the ball very well.

They've been doing it all year.

and, you know, it's, it, I definitely owe it to them after tonight.

so, you know, hopefully they keep throwing the ball great because, you know, anybody that comes in, you know, whatever situation, it's, you know, 100% belief in that person and, you know, they've been doing a great job.

Just coming off a, you know, a month of May that, you know, was a little tough for you guys to start off June with a series win here in Chicago.

Just, I guess, how big is that for you guys?

Just kind of maybe get things rolling again here on the road.

Yeah, absolutely.

you know, obviously there's going to be ups and downs throughout the season and, you know, to kind of turn the page, like you said, and come in here and beat a really good team, you know, it, it hopefully builds momentum going forward.

and, you know, we'll try to come out and, you know, sweep tomorrow and, just kind of go one day at a time and try to build off, you know, a series like this.

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