Semien's Game-Ending Single in 11th Lifts A's Over Angels
OAKLAND (AP) -- Marcus Semien singled into an empty center field with one out in the 11th inning, beating Los Angeles' five-man infield to lift the Oakland Athletics over the Angels 6-5 on opening day Thursday.
Boog Powell hit a one-out triple off Noe Ramirez (0-1) to start the winning rally. Matt Joyce was intentionally walked to bring up Semien, who delivered his first career game-ending RBI.
The Angels got consecutive two-out singles from Martin Maldonado and Zack Cozart in the 11th off Chris Hatcher (1-0) but didn't capitalize.
Khris Davis hit a three-run homer in the fifth and a tying single in the seventh to almost single-handedly get the A's back in it.
Albert Pujols homered leading off the sixth, while Shohei Ohtani connected on the first pitch he saw for a single in a much-hyped major league debut for the Japanese two-way star.
Kole Calhoun and Cozart also homered for the Angels to back Garrett Richards, who began this season healthy following two injury-shortened years. Richards left his initial 2017 outing on April 5 at Oakland, then didn't pitch again for the Angels until Sept. 5 because of a rare nerve irritation in his biceps. He missed most of 2016 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Batting eighth as designated hitter, Ohtani swung at the first pitch and grounded a hard single to right field off Kendall Graveman in the second inning. He grounded out his next three times up before a strikeout in the 11th.
Ohtani often looked overmatched in the Cactus League, managing just four singles in 32 at-bats (.125) and striking out 10 times.
The 23-year-old Ohtani is set to start on the mound for the first time in Sunday's series finale against the A's.
Davis began his quest for a third straight 40-homer season, and Matt Olson tied the game at 4 with a solo shot moments later.
Then Pujols chased Gravemen with a drive to left — No. 615 of his career — the slugger's fifth career homer on opening day.
Graveman allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings with a strikeout and no walks in his second straight opening day start for Oakland. The A's played a day game home opener for the first time since 1994.
The Angels, who opened at Oakland for a second straight year, lost their fifth straight season opener after winning the previous five.
KEEPING COUNT
Moments before Semien's single in the 11th, plate umpire Ted Barrett approached Mike Scioscia during the Angels' sixth mound visit of the game and patted the manager on the back, apparently reminding him of his total. Teams are only allowed six mound visits per game beginning this season, excluding pitching changes, though teams get an extra visit for each extra inning. The rule change is part of baseball's initiatives to help speed up games.
NO SELLOUT
The A's drew an opening day crowd of 27,764, nearly 21,000 shy of a sellout (48,592) in the newly configured Coliseum.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: LHP Andrew Heaney, placed on the disabled list retroactive to Monday with inflammation in his pitching elbow, was scheduled to throw a bullpen Friday. "He felt really good coming out of his last bullpen," Scioscia said. "Just see how he feels after tomorrow's pen, during tomorrow's pen and after and maybe get a little more clarity." Heaney will pitch in a game somewhere before being activated, Scioscia said.
Athletics: The A's began the season with five players on the DL for the third straight year: RHP Paul Blackburn, RHP Jharel Cotton, RHP Ryan Dull, INF/OF Renato Nunez and C Josh Phegley.
UP NEXT
Left-hander Tyler Skaggs pitches Friday night for the Angels opposite A's lefty Sean Manaea, a 12-game winner last season.
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