The Oakland A’s rank sixth in the Majors in home runs, but for one inning on Tuesday night, they took “small ball” to a whole other level.

The A’s put down three bunts in three consecutive plate appearances -- and on just four pitches! -- in the 12th inning of their 4-3 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

With the game tied at 2 and no outs, Daz Cameron got the bunt party started against Astros right-hander Héctor Neris by perfectly placing a ball up the third-base line for a single that moved the automatic runner, Zack Gelof, to third. Max Schuemann followed by bunting a 1-0 pitch back toward Neris, who tried to make a throw to the plate but couldn’t get a clean handle on the ball. He spiked his attempt into the grass, allowing Gelof to score with the go-ahead run and Cameron to hustle around to third.

Nick Allen bunted Neris’ next pitch into the air, but it evaded the glove of first baseman Yainer Diaz, allowing Cameron to score. Jacob Wilson grounded into a double play to end both the run of bunts and the inning.

Four pitches, three bunts and two runs all equaled one win for Oakland. It was the second time this season a team bunted in three consecutive plate appearances; the Cubs did the trick in the fifth inning against the Rays on June 13.

“That was well executed. Daz was bunting for a hit," manager Mark Kotsay said. "Then it just became a first-and-third situation. We’ve been here lately and not been able to execute. We had a couple guys up there that can bunt that do a good job with it with Schuemann and Allen. We took our chances there in getting a run. It was really nice to see the Allen bunt getting through to provide that second run, especially with the top of their lineup coming up.”

The last time the A’s placed three bunts in an inning? You have to go back to July 19, 1975, to find it, and that also occurred on back-to-back-to-back plate appearances – in the top of the first inning. Bert Campaneris, Bill North and Claudell Washington opened that evening’s game against the Orioles with nothing but bunts, though all three were thrown out at first base.

This was the fourth time on record in the Modern Era (since 1900) that a team bunted three times in a single extra inning. The only other time it occurred on three consecutive plate appearances was on May 3, 1966, as the Braves did it in the 10th inning en route to a victory over the Phillies.