CLEVELAND — Mitch Moreland homered twice, Chris Bassitt posted his AL-leading 12th win and the Oakland Athletics routed the Cleveland Indians 17-0 on Thursday for their seventh straight victory.
By the end, the only drama involved Matt Chapman, who walked in his first five plate appearances for Oakland. The remaining fans from the crowd of 16,559 on a sweltering afternoon were cheering for a record-tying sixth walk when he batted in the ninth inning, and expressed their disappointment after he struck out swinging against Blake Parker on a 1-2 pitch.
Bryce Harper, Jeff Bagwell and Jimmie Foxx share the major league mark of six walks in a game. Chapman became the first Oakland player since Mark McGwire in 1997 to walk five times.
Bassitt (12-3) allowed three hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two. The right-hander is a native of Toledo and pitched at the University of Akron. He estimated he had about 100 supporters in the stands, including family members and friends.
“It was pretty sweet, a little nerve racking,” he said. “Obviously, a little more pressure than normal knowing how many people are coming.”
Oakland scored three times in the second off Eli Morgan (1-5). The rookie allowed five runs in four innings.
Five Cleveland pitchers walked 10 and hit three batters, leading to a direct observation from Indians interim manager DeMarlo Hale.
“Just look at the walks and hit batters ... I’m not gonna dip too deep in to it” he said.
More Indians Coverage: