Oakland A's, Detroit Tigers Combine to Make History in Wild Extra-Inning Showdown

The Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers traded blows for 13 innings on Friday night, ultimately earning a spot in the MLB history books with their constant clutch hitting.
Sep 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Seth Brown (center) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers during the 13th inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Sep 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Seth Brown (center) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers during the 13th inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Neither the Oakland Athletics nor the Detroit Tigers were going down without a fight on Friday night.

The Tigers struck first, scoring a run in the top of the fifth. The A's answered, though, tying the score in the bottom of the frame.

Oakland took the next lead via an RBI single in the sixth, only for Detroit to even things up on a wild pitch one half-inning later. The two teams were knotted up at 2-2 following the bottom of the ninth, setting the stage for a wild extra-inning roller coaster.

It started with rookie Colt Keith driving in a run in the top of the 10th, then All-Star slugger Brent Rooker matching him with an RBI double to keep the Athletics alive. Parker Meadows may have given the Tigers an even bigger cushion in the top of the 11th with a two-RBI double, but Seth Brown still wiped it out with a two-run home run.

For the third time in extra innings alone, Detroit took a lead in the 12th. Like clockwork, Oakland tied things up at 6-6 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Rooker.

The Tigers finally came up empty in the 13th, opening the door for Brown to walk things off with an RBI single to right. The A's finally pulled out the 7-6 win, nearly four hours after the first pitch of the evening.

According to OptaSTATS, the seven half-innings the Athletics and Tigers scored in across extra innings on Friday are tied for the most in MLB's modern era. The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are the only other teams to match the feat, setting the record 50 years ago on Sept. 10, 1974.

Brown, who initially came in as a pinch-hitter, went 2-for-2 with three RBI. Rooker and Lawrence Butler combined to go 6-for-10, continuing their torrid second half of the season.

The Athletics may only be 62-80 on the whole this season, but their 32-24 record since July 1 is the second-best in the American League in that time. They have also exceeded their 50 wins from 2023, as well as their 60 wins from 2022, with more than three weeks left on the schedule.

Oakland and Detroit will face off again at 4:07 p.m. ET on Saturday. The series will come to a close at 4:07 p.m. ET on Sunday before both teams take a well-earned day off on Monday.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.