Shea Langeliers Hits Potentially the Final Walk-Off for Oakland

Jason Burke | Sep 3, 2024

Sep 2, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (left) and shortstop Max Schuemann (right) douse catcher Shea Langelier (center) after his walk-off home run against the Seattle Mariners at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-USA TODAY Sports / Eakin Howard-USA TODAY Sports

Shea Langeliers may have just hit the final walk-off in Oakland A's history. With the score knotted at four apiece in the bottom of the ninth, Seattle Mariners pitcher Austin Voth threw the A's catcher a sweeper that crept far enough over the plate for Langeliers to turn on it and send it over the fence in left.

It was one heck of a way to begin the final month of home games the A's will play in Oakland.

With 12 more home dates on the schedule, there will be further opportunities for a walk-off hit from the Athletics, but there is no guarantee one is on the horizon. That home run could be a big one in the larger scope of Oakland history when the month comes to a close.

While last night's homer could be the final one, the first walk-off in Oakland happened in 1968, the year the A's moved from Kansas City, and it came in their first win ever at the Oakland Coliseum on April 18. The A's and Baltimore Orioles were tied after nine innings, so they just kept playing. Baltimore scored a run in the top of the 11th on a Curt Motton double to score Dave May. The hit came off reliever Ed Sprague, the father of the A's current Director of Player Development, also named Ed Sprague.

In the bottom of the 11th, Reggie Jackson scored from second on a fielder's choice that resulted in an error on the throw to first, tying the game. The two clubs would play into the 13th, when the A's would receive a leadoff single from Jackson. Sal Bando tried to bunt him to second, but wound up on first himself, while also moving the runner up. Both Bando and Jackson were moved up a base on a bunt by Ramon Webster. Jim Gosger was intentionally walked, loading the bases, and John Donaldson lifted a fly ball deep enough into left field to bring home Jackson on a sac-fly.

A's win, 4-3.

The A's also recorded another walk-off win on that initial homestand in Oakland, defeating the New York Yankees 4-3 in the 11th. John Donaldson stepped up with the bases loaded in that one too, but this time around he roped a single to bring home the winning run.

Donaldson was with the A's from '66-69 when he was traded to the brand new Seattle Pilots franchise, who would move to Milwaukee in 1970.

Baseball is funny like that. When looking up the first walk-off in franchise history, we find that a connection to the current front office was involved in the game, the player that brought home the winning run on two separate occasions was both part of the A's move to Oakland, and also part of the Pilots' move to Milwaukee--with a similar fate awaiting the A's themselves all these years later.

Seattle ended up landing the Mariners in 1977, and with expansion on the horizon for MLB, maybe a similar fate awaits Oakland.