Gelof continues sensational start to career with 2 more doubles

ST. LOUIS -- The iconic Gateway Arch that serves as the backdrop to Busch Stadium was an appropriate setting for yet another impressive chapter in the monumental start to Zack Gelof’s Major League career.

In the 8-0 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday night that was arguably Oakland’s most impressive all-around victory of the season, Gelof again hit his way into the record books with a pair of doubles as part of what was his second four-hit game in the past four days. He became the first player in A’s history to have 20 extra-base hits and 20 runs scored through his first 28 games.

Since 2000, only four players have notched at least 20 extra-base hits and 20 runs scored through their first 28 Major League games: Bo Bichette ('19), Will Smith ('19), Gary Sánchez ('15) and Jeff Francoeur ('05).

“It’s fun watching him right now,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of Gelof. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence. For young guys to come here and have that type of success, it obviously builds their confidence. … He tried to make the team out of Spring Training, went to Triple-A and continued to work, and it’s paying off here.”

That Gelof -- rated Oakland’s No. 3 prospect and No. 94 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline -- is off to a hot start really should not come as a surprise. Starting fast has been a trademark of his at every level of the Minors since the A’s drafted him in 2021. But to be doing it on the biggest stage certainly elevates the impressiveness of it all, particularly when it gets to the point that Gelof is reading social media posts about it on a daily basis.

“It’s hard not to [notice the stats] when they’re on the board every day,” Gelof said. “My better days are when I’m just locked in on the at-bat and focused on what I want to do at the plate. It gets hard sometimes, but I just want to focus on the process and not the results.”

While the results are stupendous, Gelof brings something else to this rebuilding A’s club that goes beyond the projected big numbers. There’s an attitude and ferocity to Gelof’s game that fits the exact culture Kotsay has been trying to establish over these past two seasons, making him an ideal leader for Oakland's youth movement.

That trait was evident in Gelof’s sixth-inning RBI double. Though his liner into shallow right appeared to be a clear single, the 23-year-old rookie turned on the burners, going from home to second base in just 8.01 seconds.

“We’ve seen that time and time again when he gets out of the box,” Kotsay said. “He plays with an intensity about him that you want to see from the rest of the group. … This guy is leading by example. He’s going out and playing the game hard. Not recklessly, but with a passion.”

Entering Wednesday’s series finale mired in a frustrating five-game losing streak with only a month and a half left in a season that has them on pace for well over 100 losses, Kotsay held a team meeting about two hours before first pitch.

“There are 42 games left in the season and 18 of them are in our division,” Kotsay said. “It’s time to really find out where we stand, for next season as well. Building an identity and allowing these guys to play together, hopefully, will jump-start that going into Spring Training next season.”

What transpired in the first game after that meeting was encouraging. In addition to Gelof’s brilliant 4-for-5 night that also featured his seventh stolen base, fellow rookie Jordan Diaz highlighted a four-run first with a booming two-run double. In the ninth, A’s No. 1 prospect Tyler Soderstrom launched a 454-solo shot to right for his second career homer.

On the mound, Paul Blackburn shut down the Cardinals over a season-high seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

“A day like today is not going to happen every day, but it just proves what we’re capable of as a team,” Gelof said. “If we’re as consistent as possible in our preparation and having as much fun on the field as possible, good things happen.”