WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Brent Rooker delivered a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Sunday, capping a career-high six-RBI performance and lifting the Athletics to a 12-10 win over the Houston Astros.
Rooker, who also homered in the seventh inning, finished with two home runs and six RBIs. His 10th-inning blast off Bryan Abreu (0-1) erased a 10-9 deficit and gave Oakland its first series win of the season, taking two of three from Houston after an 11-0 loss Saturday.
Tyler Soderstrom contributed a bases-loaded triple and scored three times as the A’s racked up 16 hits. Rooker’s seventh-inning two-run homer, his first of the year and the 100th of his Athletics career, broke a 5-5 tie and sparked a four-run frame.
Houston rallied with four runs in the eighth. Jake Meyers homered, Jose Altuve doubled in a run, and Cam Smith tied the game at 9 with a two-run single. Carlos Correa’s RBI single in the 10th gave the Astros a 10-9 lead before Rooker’s walk-off.
Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker each hit two-run homers for Houston. Elvis Alvarado (1-0) recorded two outs for the win. A’s starter Jacob Lopez struck out six over 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks. Lance McCullers Jr. surrendered three runs and five hits in four innings for the Astros.
Oakland has an off day Monday before opening a series at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. Right-hander Aaron Civale (1-0, 3.60 ERA) is scheduled to face New York righty Cam Schlittler (2-0, 0.00).
