Langeliers nearly hits for the cycle without knowing it

NEW YORK -- When Shea Langeliers dug into the batters’ box against Edwin Díaz in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 9-4 A’s win over the Mets, almost everyone knew what type of history was at stake. The remaining crowd from the announced attendance of 31,293 inside Citi Field knew. Every player and coach inside both dugouts knew.

The only person unaware was … Langeliers!

After reaching base in each of his first four plate appearances, Langeliers had a date with destiny, needing a triple to complete the 18th cycle in A’s history and first since Mark Ellis in 2007. Reaching out of the zone for a 1-2 slider from Díaz, Langeliers poked a line drive into right field that initially appeared as if it would give him a shot at a three-bagger.

Langeliers is quicker than most catchers -- his sprint speed average of 27.9 feet per second ranks fifth fastest among Major League backstops -- so he certainly had the wheels to make it. Instead, Langeliers, who admitted after the game that he did not know he was a triple shy of the cycle, eased up halfway to second base and pulled up for his second double of the night. Once he looked into the A’s dugout and saw the looks of disbelief on each of his teammates, Langeliers put two and two together.

"I guess it hadn’t even registered,” said Langeliers. "I didn’t know until I stopped at second, looked in the dugout and everyone was freaking out. I was like, ‘Oh, I needed a triple.’ I asked [third base coach Eric Martins] after that and I guess it looked pretty obvious that I could have had it. I guess I kind of just zoned out."

It’s understandable if Langeliers was feeling a bit too locked in to notice. The 4-for-4 night with four RBIs marked Langeliers’ second consecutive four-hit game, after doing the same in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

"Lang is swinging the bat really well,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It was impressive that he came out again today and threw up another four-hit game. When he gets hot and he gets locked in and feels good about his swing, he definitely is an offensive threat."

Per Elias Sports, Langeliers is the seventh A's player in the expansion era (since 1961) to pick up a hit in eight or more consecutive at-bats.

The list:

Langeliers (Aug. 2024)
Seth Brown (July 2024)
Josh Reddick (May 2016)
Dave Magadan (Aug. 1997)
Jason Giambi (April 1996)
Brent Gates (May 1994)
Joe Rudi (Sept. 1973)

Langeliers has already etched himself in A’s history. He is the first player in franchise history to hit 20 home runs as a catcher in back-to-back seasons, adding to that total by launching his 22nd of the year in the third inning.

The three-run blast came off Mets starter Paul Blackburn, which was rather fitting given the history between the two. Langeliers was behind the plate for 24 of Blackburn’s starts for the A’s from 2022-24, the most of any catcher during the right-hander’s eight-year career with the green and gold. So, there is arguably no player in baseball with a better understanding of Blackburn as a pitcher.

That’s what made Tuesday’s matchup so intriguing. It marked the first time Blackburn -- dealt from Oakland to New York at the July 30 Trade Deadline -- was squaring off against his former team. With bragging rights on the line, Langeliers came away the victor.

Going head-to-head for the second time in the game with no outs in the third, Blackburn threw the kitchen sink at Langeliers. He started with a fastball for a called strike, then went cutter for a ball and followed with a slider that was fouled off. Throwing his fourth different pitch on a 1-2 count, Blackburn fired a changeup low in the zone that Langeliers crushed into the seats in left-center for a Statcast-projected 406-foot homer.

"That’s what he does,” Langeliers said of Blackburn. “He’s got six pitches and can throw them all for strikes and get guys out. That’s what I was telling guys pregame. He can get guys out every way with every pitch. There’s not one way he’s going to pitch everybody. He’s going to do a bunch of different stuff, so you really just have to do what you can to zone him in, pick a side of the plate and go from there.”

The A’s got to Blackburn with seven runs through the first three innings and rode that to another win that extends their record since July 1 to 21-13 (.618), the best winning percentage in the American League during that span. One win in the next two games would clinch their seventh series victory in their last nine tries, a stretch that has already seen series wins against the likes of World Series hopefuls such as the Phillies and Astros.

"It proves what we’re capable of,” Langeliers said. “The next step is being consistent, and we’re proving since the All-Star break that we can do it. We can play these playoff-contending teams and win. All it’s doing for us is building confidence."