Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker Join Forces to Make Oakland Athletics History

The Oakland Athletics had Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker hit 10 home runs in July, achieving a feat the franchise hadn't seen since the days of Mark McGwire.

Jul 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo homer against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics may still be sitting in dead last in the AL West, but they have certainly brought plenty of pop to the table this summer.

The A's fended off the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, winning 5-2 in game one of the two-game rivalry series at Oracle Park. All five of Oakland's runs came off home runs, starting with Daz Cameron's solo shot in the top of the second.

Before JJ Bleday's eighth-inning homer put a cap on it, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker went deep in the third and fifth innings, respectively. Butler is now up to 12 home runs on the season and 10 in July, while Rooker has hit 11 of his 26 home runs this season in July.

Rooker's 11 home runs this month lead all of baseball. Butler's 10 are tied with four other players for second-most in the league.

As noted by MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Rooker and Butler just became the third of Athletics teammates to each top 10-plus homers in the same calendar month. Mark McGwire and and Terry Steinbach also achieved the feat in July 1996, while Jimmie Foxx and Bob Johnson did so in June 1934.

Those four players combined for 31 career All-Star appearances and 1,567 career home runs. McGwire and Foxx each cleared 500 home runs, with Foxx making it into the Hall of Fame.

A’s teammates with 10+ HR each in same calendar month:

July 2024 Brent Rooker + Lawrence Butler
July 1996 Mark McGwire + Terry Steinbach
June 1934 Jimmie Foxx + Bob Johnson https://t.co/WO9ZtN5Uel

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 31, 2024

Rooker and Lawrence aren't quite on that level yet, but they sure are enjoying breakout seasons in their own right. Rooker is batting .297 with a .965 OPS and 3.7 WAR, while the 24-year-old Lawrence is batting .258 with an .817 OPS and 1.7 WAR.

Just before the All-Star break, the duo combined for five home runs in a single game, but they were not named All-Stars themselves. Rooker was an All-Star in 2023, thanks in large part to his 30 home runs.

Overall, the Athletics rank fourth in all of MLB with 142 home runs. The three teams above them – the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers – are all considered to be top-tier World Series contenders.

Oakland, on the other hand, is 45-64. While they reached the 45-win mark 22 days earlier than they did in 2022 and 43 days earlier than they did in 2023, the A's are still 14.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our FanNation on SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.