TORONTO -- Dustin Fowler put the Athletics on the board with the first home run of his Major League career in a 3-1 win on Friday over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Leading off the third inning, the left-handed-hitting Fowler drove a fastball from Toronto starter Marco Estrada a projected 387 feet, according to Statcast™, to the opposite way with an exit velocity of 101.4 mph.
"Pretty good night for Dustin, no doubt," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "That home run the other way, he's been working to drive the ball the other way. A base hit, a stolen base, he drove in another run. When you're a rookie and you just get here, and you're looking to feel like you're part of it, this goes a long way."
Fowler had a hand in all three of Oakland's runs. His RBI double in the seventh inning put the A's ahead for good, and he then scored on a double by Josh Phegley. Fowler, who finished 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk, is leaving a good impression on his manager, who sees the 23-year-old center fielder finding his stride on the A's current road trip.
"He's having a nice little East Coast trip," Melvin said. "These can be a little bit daunting, too, but he's just doing everything really well right now."

After joining the A's from the Yankees in last July's Sonny Gray deal, Fowler opened 2018 in Triple-A Nashville and hit .310 with an .817 OPS over 30 games. He was called up to the Majors on May 9 and started out slow, but he has a hit in each of his last three starts.