Oakland’s Cespedes hits homer in win over Seattle

Associated Press

TOKYO

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes hit his first major league home run to power the Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday that earned Oakland a split in the teams’ two-game season-opening series at Tokyo Dome.

Cespedes connected for a two-run homer off Seattle reliever Shawn Kelley to give Oakland a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Josh Reddick followed with a solo shot off George Sherrill to give the A’s a two-run cushion.

Ichiro Suzuki, who was 4 for 5 in Seattle’s 3-1 win over Oakland on Wednesday, was hitless in four at-bats Thursday.

Oakland starter Bartolo Colon picked up the win after striking out six and holding the Mariners to one run on three hits over eight innings.

Athletics 4, Mariners 1

SeattleOakland

abrhbiabrhbi

Figgins lf4000JWeeks 2b3000

Ackley 2b4000Pnngtn ss4010

ISuzuki rf4000Crisp lf3000

Smoak 1b4111Gomes dh4111

JMontr dh3010KSuzuk c4100

Seager 3b3000Cespds cf3112

Olivo c3010Reddck rf3121

MSndrs cf2000Dnldsn 3b3010

Ryan ss3000Kaaihu 1b3010

Allen pr-1b0000

Totals30131Totals30474

Seattle000000100—1

Oakland00000031x—4

LOB—Seattle 3, Oakland 4. 2B—Reddick (1). HR—Smoak (1), Gomes (1), Cespedes (1), Reddick (1). CS—J.Weeks (1).

IPHRERBBSO

Seattle

Vargas6 1-321123

Kelley L,0-1 BS,1-1 1-311100

Sherrill031100

Delabar1 1-311102

Oakland

Colon W,1-0831116

Balfour S,1-1100001

Sherrill pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. Umpires—Home, Jeff Nelson; First, Marvin Hudson; Second, Dan Bellino; Third, Tom Hallion. T—2:23. A—43,391.