OAKLAND, Calif.—Pablo López took a perfect game into the sixth inning and matched a career high with 14 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings as the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 3–0 on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series.
López (7–6) limited Oakland to two singles and a walk, retiring the first 17 batters he faced before Lawrence Butler singled on a line drive to right field with two outs in the sixth.
“I was aware of it,” López said of the perfect-game bid. “I think any pitcher that would say he wasn’t would be lying. But it was about just one pitch at a time, like what can I do to win this pitch? And keeping that mentality.”
Added Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli: “He was on fire from the beginning. I mean, he had tremendous stuff from the first pitch of the outing to the last. Nothing wavered.”
Byron Buxton hit a home run off Hogan Harris in the second inning and added an RBI double in the seventh to help the Twins improve to 16–4 against the American League West. Kyle Farmer drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.
“It’s a nice thing to see the ball explode off of [Buxton’s] bat like that because he’s a special player, and he can do things that you don’t see every day, things that not every guy can do,” Baldelli said.
Griffin Jax pitched the ninth inning for his seventh save in nine chances for the Twins, who have won 16 of their past 19 meetings with the A’s, including six of seven this season.
Harris (1–1) allowed three runs and five hits with two strikeouts and two walks while pitching into the seventh inning as Oakland fell to 6–17 against the American League Central.
“[Harris] had a nice start up until the seventh, when he got touched up a little bit,” A’s Manager Mark Kotsay said. “But Hogan did a nice job. ... The success that he’s having, maybe not wins and losses for him right now, it will translate to wins and losses if he continues to just make these steps in the right direction.”
1974 Reunion
Oakland honored its 1974 World Series championship team before the game. The championship marked the Athletics’ third in a row, one of just four three-peats in major-league history. World Series most valuable player Rollie Fingers spoke to the crowd and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.Trade Alert
The A’s traded infielder J.D. Davis and cash considerations to the New York Yankees for minor- league infielder Jordan Groshans. Davis had been designated for assignment Tuesday after hitting .232 with four homers and five RBIs in 39 games with Oakland.Trainer’s Room
Twins: OF Max Kepler (neck spasms) remained out of the lineup for a third straight day after leaving Thursday’s game following a headfirst slide into first base.Up Next
Twins: Following an off day, right-hander Joe Ryan (5–5, 3.13 earned-run average) is scheduled to open a three-game series Tuesday night at Arizona opposite Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3–6, 4.37).Athletics: Right-hander Luis Medina (1–2, 4.71) is set to make his fifth start of the season Monday night as Oakland begins a three-game, road series against the Los Angeles Angels. Los Angeles is expected to counter with right-hander Griffin Canning (2–8, 5.02), who has lost all four of his starts in June.
