Byrnes begins record night with home run
Susan Slusser
San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, September 27, 2001
With Johnny Damon getting the evening off, September call-up Eric Byrnes took over in center field and atop the lineup -- and the rookie from Woodside whacked the A's first leadoff home run of the season, then finished the game with a spectacular catch.
Byrnes' drive to center off Jarrod Washburn was the first of three Oakland home runs, as Mark Bellhorn went deep to open the third inning and Ramon Hernandez got Washburn with one out in the fourth. That was enough offense for the A's to nail down their 14th consecutive home victory, 3-1 over the Angels.
The home winning streak is an ongoing Oakland record, one of several on display last night. Barry Zito (15-8) also put the team in the books by recording the club's 1,043rd strikeout, establishing a franchise mark for a season. By the end of the game, the total was up to 1,046. In addition, Jason Giambi ripped his 42nd double of the season, breaking the old Oakland record he set in 1997 and Ben Grieve equaled in 1998.
Though he was not in the starting lineup, shortstop Miguel Tejada entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth, extending his games-played streak to 260, second most in Oakland history behind Alfredo Griffin's 347.
Byrnes ended the game with a great catch, slamming into the wall in right- center while going after a drive by Tim Salmon.
"I didn't have much regard for the wall," Byrnes said. "I turned around and there was the ball -- and there was the wall."
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