VIDEO: A's Liam Hendriks Wipes Away Astros and Michael Brantley With Absolutely Perfect Fastball
By Chris Pyo
The Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros by a score of 3-2 on Thursday night and took the lead in the AL Wild Card race. Reliever Liam Hendriks was the hero in this one, and after getting himself into a bit of a jam, he redeemed himself and struck out Michael Brantley with a picture-perfect fastball to end the game.
*EXTREMELY DEEP EXHALE*
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 13, 2019
GOT THE WIN, AND TOOK THE SERIES!
FINAL: #Athletics 3, Astros 2#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/H4djQxTzvX
With two outs, runners on first and third, and an 0-2 count against Brantley, Hendriks unleashed that 99 MPH monster, painting the inside corner.
That may be the most satisfying fastball we've ever seen, especially since it gave the A's the series win and their third straight victory. Now, they sit a half-game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, who hold a half-game lead over the Cleveland Indians for the second AL Wild Card spot.