Kendall Is Key to Oakland Rally

Jason Kendall is playing in his first pennant race after nine years of losing in Pittsburgh. Despite a playoff-starved career and months of frustration with his production at the plate, Kendall keeps contributing big hits.

Kendall, the Oakland Athletics’ first-year catcher, hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, and the A’s rallied from a three-run deficit for a 7-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

With the A’s struggling to remain in playoff contention, they pulled out a crucial victory by coming back after trailing, 5-2.

“I’m having the time of my life,” said Kendall, who played on Pirate teams that never had a record above .500 after Sept. 1. “We’re still having fun. We’ve got to win.”

After Jay Payton led off the eighth with a double down the left-field line, Dan Johnson followed with a score-tying double off the wall in right field. Hiram Bocachica pinch-ran for Johnson, John Wasdin (2-2) intentionally walked Mark Ellis and Kendall’s drive got past shortstop Michael Young, allowing Bocachica to score the go-ahead run.

Eric Chavez had a run-scoring single in the inning for his third hit of the game to go with his seventh-inning sacrifice fly.

Oakland started the game trailing the first-place Angels by four games in the American League West.

Mark Teixeira hit a two-run home run and a two-run double for Texas. He connected for the second consecutive game, sending his career-best 43rd homer over the left-field wall in the first inning.

The home run was the 257th of the year for the Rangers, matching the 1996 Baltimore Orioles for the second-best total in major league history, seven behind the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Teixeira has nine homers in September and 31 runs batted in this month, the most in the majors and a franchise record.

Young extended his career-best hitting streak to 21 games with an infield single in the third, hit a tiebreaking run-scoring single in the fifth and singled in a run in the ninth.