In the haze following last night's delerium, there was indeed a baseball game to be played today, and some season-long AAA players were happy to take the field in what could have been seen as a meaningless game - except to the backups and bench-warmers for whom this ranked among the biggest chances they've had all season.
Of note, Antonio Perez saw his average skyrocket above the elusive .100 barrier with a second-inning RBI triple. In a similar vein, on the mound, Jay Witasick had a seeming out of body experience, playing the part of quasi-closer, pitching a scoreless 9th, with two strikeouts. Then, in the tenth, true closer Huston Street rose to the challenge, one-upping Witasick with a scoreless inning of his own, and extinguishing the Mariners' hopes by striking out the side - a very good sign considering the many questions surrounding his status after Monday's meltdown.
While it may not have been a critical game, the A's still managed to come away with a one-run extra inning win, somehow adding drama to a contest which tried to avoid it altogether.
It wasn't all pretty. Jeremy Brown still is searching for his first major league base hit - having been robbed by Adrian Beltre at third twice, and Jason Windsor didn't much look like the pitcher who dominated the minors with a 17-2 mark. But in the few games remaining before we start our second season, these occasional glimpses into potential A's of the future will be very interesting indeed.
