Elephant Rumblings: Three A’s celebrate firsts on Father’s Day
MLB news roundup
Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!
I hope all of the dads out there had a fine Father’s Day. I’m sad to say that none of my four little ones presented me with a gift or even wished me a happy Father’s Day. Perhaps it’s because they are cats.
One dad that was surely delighted yesterday was Jared Koenig’s father Greg, who was at the Coliseum to see his son’s first MLB win yesterday in the A’s 4-0 victory against the Royals. Koenig’s performance wasn’t picture perfect: he walked four and hit one batter, and per Fangraphs his FIP and xFIP for the game were 5.79 and 7.84, respectively. He didn’t strike out a single hitter.
But the bottom line is what counts: Koenig held Royals batters hitless through four innings and left his opponents scoreless through 5⅔ frames. As Matt Kawahara at The San Francisco Chronicle noted, Royals batters averaged a mere 86.2 mph off the bat against Koenig. Perhaps this successful outing will imbue the recently called up starter with increased confidence and command going forward.
Kawahara also reported in The Chronicle that yesterday marked a first of another sort for two of Koenig’s teammates: infielder Tony Kemp and reliever Sam Moll both played their first Father’s Day games as dads. Moll and his wife, Carolina, welcomed their son Malcolm into the world last September. The family calls Memphis, Tennessee home.
Kemp and his wife Michelle live in the Bay Area with their baby girl McKenna, who was born last December. Kemp suggested that fatherhood gives him perspective that helps him deal with the ups and downs of professional sports.
“That’s the thing is good or bad (on the field), that little girl’s always bright-eyed and just wanting to see you and see your face and hug on you,” Kemp told Kawahara.
It was a happy Sunday all around as the A’s avoided a sweep at the hands of one of baseball’s worst teams and broke an eight game losing streak at home. Let’s see if they can carry this momentum into the next series of the current homestand against the Mariners, which begins Tuesday.
A’s Coverage:
- Ashford: Game #68: Father’s Day win! A’s beat Royals 4-0
- Hall: Game #67: A’s get shut out, again
- Nico: Hats Off To Kubinski - There’s More To Baseball Than Just Baseball
- Kawahara: A’s Tony Kemp, Sam Moll mark their first Father’s Day as dads ($)
- Shea: Add A’s to the list of MLB teams tanking, but thank John Fisher for that ($)
- Cano: Oakland A’s Jonah Bride makes splash through first week in big leagues
- Shea: Have mustache, will travel; former A’s pitcher Mengden back in Oakland with Royals ($)
- Abraham: Jed Lowrie debuted with the Red Sox in 2008, and he’s still going
- Martin: Vogt’s veteran wisdom helping A’s rookies learn ‘to be pros’
MLB News & Interest:
- Zencka: Brewers Designate Lorenzo Cain For Assignment
- McDonald: Dodgers To Place Mookie Betts On IL With Cracked Rib
- Heyman and Sanchez: Max Scherzer could make Mets return next week if rehab start goes to plan
- McDonald: Manny Machado Diagnosed With Ankle Sprain
- Footer: Power Rankings: NY, SoCal clubs hold strong
- Adler, Feinsand, Footer, and Simon: Experts predict MLB’s next great superstar
- Today in Baseball History
Best of Twitter:
The A’s celebrate Juneteenth.
Today we celebrate #Juneteenth.
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) June 19, 2022
On June 19, 1865, slavery officially ended in America despite the Emancipation Proclamation being put into place more than two years earlier. Learn about #Juneteenth and its history in Oakland with the @oaklibrary: https://t.co/17Hm7TZC0B pic.twitter.com/tKdX6dbBAs
Kotsay and son.
Kotsay shared a moment with his son, Trey, after the win on Father's Day pic.twitter.com/clDKX4SCbc
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 19, 2022
Not the preferred way to beat the Yankees.
Which number will be higher?
— Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) June 18, 2022
I guess Campy is like me—incapable of growing a proper mustache.
50 years ago today, the colorful Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley held baseball's first ever "Mustache Day." Finley agreed to pay $300 to each of his players for growing mustaches by Father's Day. pic.twitter.com/a6RCcjtuq5
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) June 18, 2022
While we’re talking ‘staches...
Daniel Mengden and his famous ‘stache back at the Coliseum signing autographs for A’s fans: pic.twitter.com/Tfsbqml372
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) June 18, 2022
Now that’s a bomb!
Top #Athletics prospect Shea Langeliers demolished a 472-foot homer as part of a multihit night for Triple-A Las Vegas: https://t.co/9KGwdDUkPj pic.twitter.com/6RE9UkXh6a
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 19, 2022
This is kind of like a little companion Tweet to oenig...I mean, Koenig’s win on Sunday.
In a 2-1 game, Stockton pitchers threw 104 pitches and walked none. Visalia threw 170 pitches and walked nine. Visalia won. Baseball!
— Melissa Lockard (@melissalockard) June 19, 2022