A’s starting pitcher Chris Bassitt thinks that Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Twins might best encapsulate the heart of his team, and he may be right. But to take Bassitt’s assertion one step further, there’s an argument to be made that one play, in the top of the fifth inning, can capture the A’s resiliency even better.
Shortstop Elvis Andrus was on third base. Ramón Laureano hit a grounder to Twins shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who fired it back to rookie catcher Ben Rortvedt, who was filling in for starting catcher Willians Astudillo (Astudillo was hit by a pitch in the top of the second and suffered a hand injury). Rortvedt charged towards Andrus, engaging him in a rundown, and threw it back to third baseman Josh Donaldson.
