OAKLAND — Brent Rooker hit a two-run home run off Dylan Coleman in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Oakland Athletics a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at the Coliseum.
And it might have only been the second coolest thing Rooker did Monday night.
After the A’s victory, Rooker made the short walk over to the Oakland Arena to see Zach Bryan perform in concert. But not only did the Rooker see the show, he joined Bryan on stage — wearing his Kelly green A’s jersey — and began to sing alongside the 2022 Grammy Award nominee.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Bryan wrote in an Instagram story late Monday night. “@zachlanebryan is the absolute man. Burned the house down as always.”
Bryan also acknowledged Rooker’s dual talents on Instagram, saying, “Man belted a homer then came and BELTED WITH US.”
Great night for Brent Rooker. Slugs his second walk-off homer of the season and gets to go on stage for Zach Bryan’s concert next door. pic.twitter.com/2aFJL6b5Mm
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 22, 2023
Bryan is on his 28-city cross-country “Burn, Burn, Burn” tour that began in May and concludes Aug. 30 in Kansas City, Mo. The singer-songwriter’s next show is Wednesday in Los Angeles. The tour is largely Ticketmaster-free in an effort to keep ticket prices down.
There may have been more people at the concert than at the game. The Athletics won in front of their fifth-smallest crowd of the season (3,095) and avoided falling 56 games under .500 for the first time since 1920.
The A’s should have won the game before it got to the bottom of the ninth.
The A’s led most of the game, but squandered a 4-2 lead in the eighth when the Royals scored twice off Lucas Erceg, tying the game.
Kansas City had another runner in scoring position when Michael Massey singled and appeared to steal second with two outs. Massey was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a video replay, ending the inning.
. @Brent_Rooker12 hit a walkoff home run, then walked next door to the arena and sang with @zachlanebryan
HAVE A DAY pic.twitter.com/pjtxwhcP2O— Amelia Schimmel (@SchimmelAmelia) August 22, 2023
Ryan Noda, just activated off the disabled list, led off the ninth and was hit by a pitch from Coleman (0-2). Rooker then slammed a 2-0 slider into the seats in left field for his second game-ending homer of the season.
With the concert going on, Rooker, hitting .364 (8-for-22) with three extra-base hits in his last six games before Monday, made sure the game with the Royals didn’t last any longer than it had to with his 21st homer of the season. The game ended at 9:28 p.m., likely after Bryan’s show had started.
“Rook’s been swinging the bat pretty well of late,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “I know he really wanted to get to this concert next door … so he took it into his own hands.
“It’s a good feeling to win tonight after we coughed up a 4-2 lead. I would have hated to be on the other end of that.”
Zack Gelof, Jordan Diaz, and Shea Langeliers also went deep for the MLB-worst Athletics (35-90), who snapped a three-game skid and won for the second time in 10 games.
“It’s exciting,” Rooker told NBC Sports California. “Just trying to get something in the middle of the plate there at 2-0. Put a good swing on it .. and it had enough to get out here.”
Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 25th home run for Kansas City. The Royals (40-87) have dropped six of seven.
Gelof broke a 1-1 tie when he crushed a first-pitch slider from Alec Marsh over the wall in center leading off the third. It was Gelof’s sixth home run this month and ninth in his first 32 games, making Oakland’s hard-hitting rookie the quickest player in franchise history to reach that mark.
Gelof entered the game tied for fourth in the major leagues with 12 extra-base hits in August, and was fifth in batting average (.385).
“He’s really, really, really good,” Rooker said. “He just continues to impress. He has some of the most backside power I think I’ve seen. He’s got a really bright future ahead of him.”
Kotsay has been equally impressed with the rookie second baseman, who has been one of the A’s top hitters since being called up from the minors in mid-July.
“This kid comes to play every day,” Kotsay said. “He continues to set records, open eyes and make a statement that he belongs.”
After Witt’s solo home run off starter Paul Blackburn in the sixth trimmed Oakland’s lead to 3-2, Langeliers countered in the bottom of the frame with his 12th home run, a 456-foot drive.
Trevor May (4-4), the fifth — and last — pitcher used by the A’s, retired three batters and earned the win.
FOR STARTERS
The Royals used Tucker Davidson as an opener in the game and he became the 20th starting pitcher the Royals have used this season, a franchise record and two more than the A’s (18).
Blackburn had six strikeouts, four looking, and allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He left with a 4-2 lead.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.